Helen Ruthven Waterston

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: Edmonia Lewis
Date: ca. 1866
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Luce Foundation Center
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3rd Floor
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17A
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: marble
Mediums Description: carved marble
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Portrait female — Waterston, Helen Ruthven — 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.