Anne Whitney Outmaneuvers Boston Art Snobbery in 1875

Anne Whitney claimed the victory in a blind contest with the Boston Art Committee to sculpt Charles Sumner, a distinguished local leader, posthumously commissioned. Her design of him seated embodied dignity and majesty. However, her gender led critics to find fault in her work, specifically the depiction of a man's legs. Ironically, the statue was erected not in Harvard Square but in General MacArthur Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. A plaster cast of the statue, created in 1902, now resides at the Watertown public library; a fact eluded by the Boston Art Committee – a final twist for Whitney.

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