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Secondary sourceSculpture

William Lloyd Garrison

Anne Whitney

A marble bust of William Lloyd Garrison sculpted by Anne Whitney, held at the Massachusetts Historical Society.

This bust reflects Garrison's close relationships with women reformers and artists who honored him.

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White marble bust of an older man with a bald, high forehead, short hair at the sides, and a stern expression. The bust rests on a tiered white pedestal against a dark background.
Anne Whitney, William Lloyd Garrison. Massachusetts Historical Society.

About this source

What it is

This is a marble bust of William Lloyd Garrison, sculpted by the artist Anne Whitney. It is held by the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Why it matters

Anne Whitney was a sculptor closely connected to reform circles, and her decision to sculpt Garrison reflects the ties between him and the women abolitionists and artists who supported his cause. The bust shows how Garrison was memorialized by people within his own reform networks.

Look closer

  • What does the stern expression and formal pose suggest about how the sculptor wanted Garrison to be remembered?
  • Why might a woman reformer and artist like Anne Whitney have chosen to sculpt Garrison specifically?
  • What can a sculpture convey about a person that a photograph cannot?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William Lloyd Garrison on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Yellowed title page of the 1845 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Text reads 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself', 'Boston: Published at the Anti-Slavery Office, No. 25 Cornhill, 1845'.Book

Primary source

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Frederick Douglass · 1845

Title page of 'Thoughts on African Colonization' (Boston, 1832). Large heading reads 'Thoughts on African Colonization: or an impartial exhibition of the doctrines, principles and purposes of the American Colonization Society', with text 'together with the resolutions, addresses and remonstrances of the free people of color'. Epigraphs from the Bible appear below, followed by 'By Wm. Lloyd Garrison'. Imprint: 'Boston: Printed and published by Garrison and Knapp, No. 11, Merchants' Hall, 1832'.Book

Primary source

Thoughts on African Colonization

William Lloyd Garrison · 1832

Oil portrait of a balding older man with wire-rimmed spectacles, wearing a black coat, white shirt, and black neckcloth, against a dark brown background. He faces forward with a neutral expression.Painting

Primary source

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Nathaniel Jocelyn · 1833

Masthead of The Liberator newspaper, an engraved illustration with the title THE LIBERATOR in large letters across the bottom. Scenes include an auction of enslaved people with a sign reading slaves, horses, sheep, and other goods, a central robed figure with arms raised breaking chains, enslaved people working in fields, and a gate at right. Below the title is the motto Our Country is the World, our Countrymen are all Mankind.Newspaper article

Primary source

The Liberator, 15 December 1854

Hammatt Billings · 15 December 1854

Front page of The Liberator, Boston, Friday, January 3, 1862, Vol. XXXII, No. 1, Whole No. 1619. A woodcut vignette of figures, including a standing woman, sits above the masthead. Dense columns of small printed text fill the page.Newspaper article

Primary source

The Liberator

William Lloyd Garrison · 1831-1865

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