Mysterious 150-Pound Sculpture Unearthed in San Francisco Backyard

In May, a 65-year-old landscape contractor named Greg Gatwood unearthed a 150-pound limestone bust of a woman in his backyard in San Francisco. The sculpture, approximately 22 inches wide, 18 inches high, and 10 inches deep, was uncovered when his shovel hit something solid. Gatwood and his partner, Judy Gittelsohn, a professional painter, are now working to determine the artist's identity. Gittelsohn believes it may be associated with Ralph Stackpole, a prominent American sculptor and muralist from early 20th-century San Francisco. Stackpole is known for his frescoes in Coit Tower and Art Deco figures at the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange. Historian Anne Schnoebelen suggests it could also be the work of Stackpole's students, Adeline Kent or Helen Phillips. Gatwood intends to showcase the bust in his backyard unless it is deemed worthy of a museum.