Samuel Adams (statue by Anne Whitney)

What it is

This marble statue of Samuel Adams was created by sculptor Anne Whitney, winner of a blind 1873 competition, and carved in Carrara, Italy. It was sent to Washington, D.C. for the nation's centennial and unveiled in the U.S. Capitol in December 1876, where it remains in the National Statuary Hall Collection. A bronze version made in 1880 stands at Faneuil Hall Plaza in Boston.

Why it matters

The statue shows Adams with arms crossed, in a pose meant to convey defiance against British rule, recalling his demand after the Boston Massacre that British troops leave the city. It reflects how, a century after the Revolution, Adams was remembered as Massachusetts's most popular historical figure and a model of incorruptible patriotism. The statue's history also reveals that Whitney was originally deselected from an earlier commission once judges learned she was a woman.

Look closer

• Why do you think Adams, rather than his cousin John Adams, was chosen to represent Massachusetts?
• What does the pose — arms crossed, holding a document — suggest the sculptor wanted viewers to feel about Adams?
• How might a statue made a century after someone's death differ from how they looked or acted in life?