Washington's Tomb 1860 - 1865

Editor: Here we have Joseph H. Merriam's bronze relief, "Washington's Tomb," made sometime between 1860 and 1865. There's something so classical about it, this profile view in bronze. What do you see in this piece that maybe I'm missing? Curator: It whispers of an era obsessed with legacy, doesn't it? I find myself wondering, who was this piece intended for? Was it a trinket of mourning, a pocket-sized monument to a fallen father-figure? Notice how Washington isn’t just depicted; he’s enshrined, literally framed by his own legend. That smooth, almost idealized profile clashes, doesn't it, with the tumultuous period it was created in, the American Civil War? Editor: Absolutely! It seems to pull from Neoclassicism while the country was actively grappling with anything BUT idealized concepts. Almost feels like intentional blindness? Curator: Precisely! It is almost like trying to preserve the illusion of unity through art. Doesn't it make you wonder about the artist’s intent? Were they yearning for simpler times or perhaps suggesting that Washington's values were the balm the nation desperately needed? Think of this piece, then, not just as a depiction, but as a longing. Editor: A longing etched in bronze! That shifts my perspective entirely. It's less a portrait and more...a prayer? Curator: Beautifully put. Art often reflects our deepest hopes and fears. Editor: Well, I will never look at a bronze relief the same way again! Curator: And that, my friend, is the magic of art.