William Hickling Prescott (1796-1859) 1843

Curator: Looking at this bust, it's hard not to think about power. Editor: Interesting. My first impression is one of tranquility. The gentleman, William Hickling Prescott, seems so composed, almost melancholic. Curator: Yes, Richard Saltonstall Greenough captures him with such a gentle expression. But Prescott was a renowned historian, wasn't he? A man who shaped narratives and influenced perceptions of the past, particularly concerning the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Editor: Absolutely, and it's vital to remember the context. Prescott's work, while celebrated, also perpetuated certain colonial perspectives. He wrote about cultures and histories that were not his own. Curator: A point well taken. I suppose seeing him immortalized in marble gives a certain weight to his legacy, doesn't it? Like a statement about who gets remembered, and how. Editor: Exactly! It prompts us to question whose stories we valorize and to explore the silences within historical narratives. Curator: I hadn't thought of it that way at first, but it certainly gives the bust another layer of meaning. Editor: Right? Art is always in conversation with history, even—or especially—when it seems still and quiet.