Rev. Dr. Alexander Hamilton Vinton

Copied Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Rev. Dr. Alexander Hamilton Vinton, 1883, remodeled 1905, relief/metal: bronze, 35 1⁄8 x 24 in. (89.1 x 61.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Donald C. Starr, 1970.40
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Rev. Dr. Alexander Hamilton Vinton
Artist
Remodeler
Date
1883, remodeled 1905
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
35 1⁄8 x 24 in. (89.1 x 61.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Donald C. Starr
Mediums
Mediums Description
relief/metal: bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Vinton, Alexander Hamilton — bust
  • Dress — ecclesiastical
  • Occupation — religion — clergy
Object Number
1970.40
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1970.40

Artwork Description

Alexander Hamilton Vinton (1807-1881) was a prominent Episcopalian minister. He entered the ministry in 1828 after receiving his master’s in divinity from Yale. In 1877, after a long and influential career, Vinton left Emmanuel Church in Boston to retire to Connecticut with his wife. Four years later the parish commissioned Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create this commemorative portrait. In earlier versions, the sculptor represented Vinton at the pulpit with his arm raised in speech. The final version, however, does not present the rector as an orator, but as a scholarly theologian clasping a Bible to his chest, his fingers marking various pages.