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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Cast after
Daniel Chester French, 20 Apr 1850 - 7 Oct 1931
Foundry
Henry Bonnard Bronze Co.
Sitter
Ralph Waldo Emerson, 25 May 1803 - 27 Apr 1882
Date
1879 (cast 1901)
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
57.5 cm (22 5/8" )
Topic
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Male
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Literature\Writer\Poet
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Literature\Writer\Essayist
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Society and Social Change\Transcendentalist
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.74.13
Exhibition Label
Born Boston, Massachusetts
In 1832, Ralph Waldo Emerson had a crisis of faith and resigned as a Unitarian minister at the Second Church of Boston. Having cast off doctrine, he developed a uniquely American school of philosophy known as transcendentalism. Sensing a divine presence in nature, Emerson asserted that individuals could experience God directly, without the mediation of priest or church, through solitary contemplation of the natural world. In keeping with the democratic ideals of his country, Emerson claimed that salvation was not limited to the select few, but available to all, gained through recognition of the divine power within each individual.
Nacido en Boston, Massachusetts
En 1832, Ralph Waldo Emerson sufrió una crisis de fe y renunció al puesto de pastor de la Segunda Iglesia de Boston, de vertiente unitarista. Desechando la doctrina, desarrolló una escuela de filosofía netamente estadounidense, conocida como trascendentalismo. Emerson sentía una presencia divina en la naturaleza y afirmaba que se podía tener la experiencia de Dios directamente, sin mediación de sacerdotes ni iglesias, a través de la contemplación solitaria del mundo natural. A tono con los ideales democráticos de su país, afirmaba que la salvación no estaba reservada para unos pocos, sino al alcance de todos los que reconocieran el poder divino dentro de cada individuo.
Provenance
Don Beck [1949-2010], Fort Wayne, Indiana; purchased NPG 1974
