Anna Quincy Waterston

Edmonia Lewis, Anna Quincy Waterston, ca. 1866, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Richard Frates, 1983.95.181

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Edmonia Lewis often carved portraits of her patrons, either for a commission or as an expression of thanks. This piece depicts the poet Anna Quincy Waterston who, with her husband Reverend Robert C. Waterston, helped Lewis raise the money to pay for the first marbles she carved in Rome. The sculpture shows an elegant woman with a composed expression and a hint of a smile. The elaborate hairstyle and decorative clothing suggest a lady of wealth and importance in nineteenth-century society.

Luce Object Quote

"Tis fitting that a daughter of the race
Whose chains are breaking should receive a gift
So rare as genius. Neither power nor place,
Fashion or wealth, pride, custom, caste nor hue
Can arrogantly claim what God doth lift
Above these chances, and bestows on few."
Excerpt from "Edmonia Lewis," a poem by Anna Quincy Waterston, 1864

Title

Anna Quincy Waterston

Artists

Edmonia Lewis

Date

ca. 1866

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