b'Dog portrait by Jules Chardiny (French, c.1889).Throughoutthehotelareworksofart-sculptures and paintings - that feature dogs.ThemostbeautifuloneisastatuecalledAu Coup de Fusil, meaning The Shot (as ingunshot). It can be found just outside the front Hillsborough High School football team with their mascotof the hotel. The two bronze hounds represent on steps of the Tampa Bay Hotel (c. 1906).two fine Pointers being alerted by the soundof a gunshot. They were sculpted by famedcanine sculptor Eglantine Lemaitre (French,1852-1920)andwerecastinFrancebyMaurice Denonvilliers in 1890. Originally, thedogsfacedsouthratherthannorth,theirfocus, a small bronze squirrel placed on a lowhanging oak limb. However, this was a misin-terpretation of the piece, as evidenced by thehounds attention being diverted in differentdirections. Eventually the squirrel was stolenandthedogsweremovedtotheircurrentlocation. The dogs represent Plants personalfavorite hunting dogs.The Tampa Bay Hotel closed in 1930 astheGreatDepressionseverelycurtailedtourism. It remained empty and unused forthreeyears.In1933,TampaBayJuniorCollege was allowed to move into the hotel,usingthesuitesasclassroomsandoffices.Eventually, the junior college was expanded, (Left): Victorian Lady Reading with Dog, marble sculpture, from Tampa Bay Hotel GoldbecomingtheUniversityofTampa.The Room, Continental, late 19th century. (Right): Little Red Riding Hood (c. 1893).Tampa Municipal Museum was established bythe city to preserve the hotel in its originalformandco-existwiththeUniversity.In1941, the city of Tampa signed a 99-year leasewith the University of Tampa for one dollar ayear. The lease excluded the southeast wing ofthe building to allow for the housing of themuseum.In1974,theTampaMunicipalMuseumwasrenamedtheHenryB.PlantMuseum.Thankfully,nowtheonlythingbeinghunted on campus is the discovery of hiddendogs in the sculptures, paintings and artifactsdisplayed throughout the museum. That, andperhapsanallnightdinerforthestudentburning the midnight oil studying.Coal Bin with reverse painting of dog (c. 1891).26 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'