TitleLittle Ida
Artist
Charles Calverley
(1833 - 1914)
Date1869
MediumPlaster relief
DimensionsOverall: 24 1/2 × 20 5/8 × 3 in.
Other (Relief): 17 × 13 × 1 in.
Other (Frame): 24 1/2 × 20 5/8 × 3 in.
SignedSigned at lower left: "C. CALVERLEY."; under neck: "CC[monogram] Sept. 15th 1869".
SubmissionNA diploma presentation, May 3, 1875
Credit LineNational Academy of Design, New York, NY
Object number17-S
Label TextThe figure was likely modeled shortly after the artist moved from Albany to New York City to begin his career as a portrait. While working to establish himself, Calverley recruited "any one I could induce to give me sittings" and Little Ida was likely a servant, as her clothing suggests. Her African-American features, while recognizable, are sympathetic and attentive, rather than emphatic or exaggerated, and Calverley inscribed a later version of the work "The Race John Brown Died For." This plaster is probably the original conception of the work and served as the model from which marble versions were carved. The date incised into it could indicate that it was executed in one day. It is typical of Calverley's early work, which consisted almost entirely of portraits in relief, a preference learned from his teacher and employer, Erastus Dow Palmer. A marble version of the work is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.Collections
- 19th Century Highlights from the Collection
