Ralph Waldo Emerson

Daniel Chester French

1879; cast 1906–7 · Bronze · The American Wing

While growing up in Concord, Massachusetts, French met the town’s most celebrated resident, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), a distinguished philosopher and writer and the leader of the Transcendentalist movement. Over a month of sittings, French captured the essential features of Emerson’s physiognomy, notably his small, piercing eyes, distinctly curved nose, and characteristic sideways tilt of the head. Emerson offered the ultimate proof of the portrait’s realism by declaring, “That is the face that I shave.”

Artist

Daniel Chester French

Date

1879; cast 1906–7

Medium

Bronze

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of the artist, 1907