Washington Allston 1843 - 1844

This is Washington Allston, a marble bust made by Edward Augustus Brackett. The first thing you notice is the cool, smooth surface of the marble, a material prized for its ability to capture likeness and convey status. Look closely, and you can see the marks of the sculptor’s tools – the rasp and chisel that shaped the stone. Marble carving is a slow, subtractive process; each cut is permanent, demanding precision and control. The choice of marble speaks to the social context of the time. It connects Brackett to a long lineage of classical sculpture, evoking ideas of permanence, beauty, and idealized form. But it also required significant labor, from quarrying the stone to the skilled carving needed to bring Allston’s likeness to life. Consider the relationship between the immense effort required to produce this sculpture, and its function as a commemoration of an individual. In doing so, we appreciate the skill involved, and also the complex social and economic forces that underpin the creation of art.