Head of a Girl

Richard Henry Park (American 1832–1902)
Daten.d.
Mediumplaster
Dimensions18 1/2 in. (47 cm) (diameter)
DescriptionRichard Park was one of a number of sculptors—members of the second and third generations of American neoclassicists—who studied or worked with the Albany, New York, sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer. Like Palmer, Park was something of a specialist in images—both portraits and allegorical representations—of children. Palmer’s followers, again including Park, also had a propensity for relief sculpture. As here, these were often round in shape and, whether in plaster or marble, were usually placed in a shadow-box or a deep, decorative frame. The presumed innocence of childhood is almost always depicted—again, as here—by a shy, demure, or even melancholy attitude.
Photograph by Jerry L. Thompson for the Boston Athenæum.
Athenæum purchase, 2008
Object NumberUH220