Helen Ruthven Waterston

Copied Edmonia Lewis, Helen Ruthven Waterston, ca. 1866, carved marble, 11 7⁄8 x 7 1⁄4 x 5 1⁄8 in. (30.2 x 18.5 x 12.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Richard Frates, 1983.95.181
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Artwork Details

Title
Helen Ruthven Waterston
Artist
Date
ca. 1866
Location
Dimensions
11 7⁄8 x 7 1⁄4 x 5 1⁄8 in. (30.2 x 18.5 x 12.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Richard Frates
Mediums
Mediums Description
carved marble
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Waterston, Anna Quincy — bust
Object Number
1983.95.181
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.181

Artwork Description

Edmonia Lewis often carved portraits of her patrons, either for a commission or as an expression of thanks. This piece memorializes Helen Waterson the daughter of the poet and abolitionist Anna Quincy Waterston and Reverend Robert C. Waterston, who died at age seventeen. The Watersons helped Lewis raise the funds to pay for the first marbles she carved in Rome. The sculpture shows an elegant young 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.