After Samuel Worcester Rowse (Bath, Maine, 1822 - 1901, Morristown, New Jersey)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, about 1878
Engraving, 11 x 7.5 cm (4 5/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
A vertical portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson is engraved in grayscale, centered on a white background. He is shown from the chest up in a three-quarter view, looking away from the viewer, into the distance towards our right. He has a broad light-skinned face, a square jaw, heavy-lidded eyes, a prominent nose, and a discrete, closed-mouth smile with a full lower lip and a thin, distinctive upper one. His hair is of medium length, side-parted towards us, slightly draping a tall and wide forehead, descending into heavy sideburns on the side of his face towards the neck. He is otherwise clean shaven. He is wearing a mid-tone waistcoat and jacket, garnished by a dark ascot tie knotted in a bow.
Blue Room
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.