The memorial, created by Felix Nylund, was erected as an expression of gratitude to commercial counsellor Gustav Albert Petrelius for his donations to the City of Turku and for the funds he bequeathed for charitable purposes.

The development of public services and charitable work were among the values and aspirations of the affluent middle class in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The sculpture, which depicts a mother and child and occupies a prominent position overlooking the surrounding area, symbolises Petrelius’s charitable work. It can also be interpreted as a reference to the importance of the orphanage established with the help of the funds he donated.