Charles William Eliot (1834-1926) 1910

Curator: This is Louis McClellan Potter's bronze bust of Charles William Eliot, who served as President of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909. Editor: It has a stoic and timeless quality, doesn't it? I'm drawn to the way the bronze has aged, acquiring a beautiful verdigris patina over time. Curator: The choice of bronze is interesting, isn't it? Bronze, traditionally associated with monuments and lasting legacy. This bust seeks to project Eliot as a figure of enduring influence. Editor: Yes, and thinking about the casting process, the lost-wax method perhaps? The labor involved in creating this hollow form, a shell of a man representing institutional power... Curator: Indeed. The bust immortalizes the man, and also, the weight of history that he carries. The stern, almost severe expression suggests not just authority but also the burden of leadership. Editor: It's a compelling tension – the individual versus the institution, the physical labor versus the intellectual legacy. I find myself contemplating the raw materials transformed into this symbol of academia. Curator: And ultimately, it speaks to our collective memory of Eliot and his impact on American education. Editor: Exactly, it is interesting to think about how that history has influenced the hands that have touched it.