| TITLE
| William Hickling Prescott (after Richard Saltonstall Greenough) |
| CREATOR | Unknown |
| DATE | 1844 |
| DIMENSIONS | 28 x 15.5 x 9 in. |
| ORIGINAL FORMAT | Sculpture |
| MEDIUM | Plaster |
| PHYSICAL NOTE | This plaster sculpture is one of the 16 that sit atop the bookshelves in the library’s main hall. |
| DONOR | Gift of Mrs. Moses B. Lockwood |
| DATE OF ACCESSION | 1865 |
| LOCATION | Providence Athenæum: Main Library |
This bust of American historian William Hickling Prescott [1796-1859] is one of sixteen that circle the Athenæum’s main hall.
Prescott was born in Salem, MA, and attended Harvard University, where he excelled in the study of history. He is best known for his three-volume work, History of the Conquest of Mexico (1843) and subsequent two-volume History of the Conquest of Peru (1847).
In 1844, Prescott commissioned a bust of himself from the neoclassical sculptor Richard Saltonstall Greenough [1819 - 1904]. This bust earned Greenough notable recognition, and his career took off. Prescott, a member of the Boston Athenæum, immediately donated the bust to the institution. The Providence Athenæum’s copy is likely a plaster replica of the original. It was donated to the library in 1865 by Mrs. Moses B. Lockwood, and joined James Phalen’s earlier 1840 donation of ten busts.
Lancaster, Jane. Inquire Within: A Social History of the Providence Athenæum Since 1753. Providence Athenæum, 2003, pp. 62, 99.
"The Bust Project/Original Busts." The Providence Athenæum, 2020, www.providenceathenaeum.org/collections/the-bust-project/original-busts/. Accessed 19 Sep. 2020.
Spina, Audrey. “William Hickling Prescott.” 2016. ARTH 401: Cataloguing Curiosity, Wheaton College, student paper.
“William Hickling Prescott.” Boston Athenæum, Paintings & Sculpture Online, www.bostonathenaeum.org/paintings-sculpture-online/william-hickling-prescott-0. Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.