Currently not on view
Frederick Douglass (1817-1895),
1983
Commissioned in 1983 by the Association of Black Princeton Alumni, this bust of Frederick Douglass was the first piece of art on the Princeton campus to depict an influential African American figure. On the plaque is a list of recipients of the Frederick Douglass Award, given to students who exhibit courage, leadership, and intellectual achievement and contribute to a deeper understanding of racial minorities.
Ruth Inge Hardison was an African American sculptor and photographer, known for her 1960s bust series Negro Giants in History. Departing from many representations of the renowned abolitionist, Hardison conspicuously omitted Douglass’s prominent beard. His bare face gives the impression of a young, passionate leader of resistance. Casting the sculpture in bronze gave Douglass’s features a literal edge. His jawline is angular, and his chin is shaped in a straight line. This rigidity pairs well with the fire in Douglass’s gaze. Deep, thin lines are etched around his eyes. The deep lines of his brows, coupled with the deep lines immediately above them, bring Douglass’s frown to life. Without the distraction of facial hair, Douglass’s penetrating stare is foregrounded, and the anger expressed through his furrowed brow is brought to life.
However, it is Douglass’s hair that captures the most attention, dwarfing the rest of his features. It stretches above his head before cascading down to enclose his cheeks like a lion’s mane. This image, in turn, extends Douglass’s overall persona. His unkempt hair, paired with sharp angles and a dedicated glower, sends the message that Douglass is a force to be reckoned with. Displaying Douglass as a young radical in a space regularly filled with students seems appropriate as a response to calls from the African American alumni group.
Lesa Redmond, Princeton University Class of 2017
More Context
Campus Voices
<p>In 1983, when the Association of Black Princeton Alumni commissioned Hardison to sculpt a cast-iron bust of Frederick Douglass, they specifically requested that the artist portray Douglass’s younger self. The bust was meant to honor annual recipients of the University’s Douglass Awards; thus, a younger version of the abolitionist was fitting. This rendered Hardison’s earlier sculpture, which showed Douglass as a bearded, wise man, inappropriate for the commission.<br>Douglass remains the most photographed individual of the nineteenth century, but representations that depict younger versions of him are rare. The best-known images of him date from the late 1870s. Thus, Hardison likely drew on a rare 1840s daguerreotype of the young Douglass to sculpt her bust for the Princeton commission. From this production, Hardison was able to capture a beardless, rigid young man quite different from typical representations. </p> <p><strong>Lesa Redmond<br>Princeton Class of 2017</strong><br>(prepared for the course AAS 349 / ART 364, Seeing to Remember: Representing Slavery Across the Black Atlantic, Spring 2017)</p>
Course Content
<p><strong>Student label, AAS 349 / ART 364, Seeing to Remember: Representing Slavery Across the Black Atlantic, Spring 2017:</strong> </p> <p>Hardison’s cast bronze bust, commissioned by Princeton University’s African American alumni association in 1983, adorns Princeton University’s Stanhope Hall. Unlike many representations of the renowned abolitionist, Hardison’s conspicuously leaves out Douglass’s prominent beard. His bare face gives the impression of a young, passionate leader of resistance. Casting the sculpture in bronze gave Douglass’s features a literal edge. His jawline is angular, and his chin is shaped in a straight line. This rigidity pairs well with the fire in Douglass’s gaze. Deep, thin lines are etched around his eyes. The deep lines of his brows, coupled with the deep lines immediately above them, bring Douglass’s frown to life. Without the distraction of facial hair, Douglass’s penetrating stare is foregrounded, and the anger expressed through his furrowed brow is brought to life.</p> <p>However, it is Douglass’s hair that captures the most attention, dwarfing the rest of his features. It stretches above his head before cascading down to enclose his cheeks like a lion’s mane. This image, in turn, extends Douglass’s overall persona. His unkempt hair, paired with sharp angles and a dedicated glower, sends the message that Douglass is a force to be reckoned with. Displaying Douglass as a young radical in a space regularly filled with students seems appropriate as a response to calls from the African American alumni group. </p> <p><strong>Lesa Redmond<br>Princeton Class of 2017</strong></p>
Information
1983
