General William Tecumseh Sherman 1888 - 1910

Curator: There's something so stoic and weary in his gaze, isn't there? Like he's seen a few too many sunrises filled with smoke and fire. Editor: That's General William Tecumseh Sherman, immortalized here in bronze. This bust, created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens sometime between 1888 and 1907, really tries to capture the weight of command and consequence of leading during the Civil War. You get a strong sense of the historical importance with its placement in the Met's collection. Curator: Bronze, eh? Gives him this enduring quality. Like the stories they used to tell around campfires back then, now transformed into something timeless. You can almost smell the metal... Feel the cold reality of his leadership frozen here. Did he approve this piece, I wonder? Did he have an eye on how he would be remembered? Editor: Absolutely! Saint-Gaudens was commissioned to create both equestrian and bust portraits of Sherman, with the General being involved during their creation. Public memory and historical legacies were very deliberately crafted and consumed during this period. Post-war America struggled to define its heroes and villains and statues like these played a vital role in shaping a narrative about national unity and purpose, and often glossed over deep wounds and divisions. Curator: So it's not just Sherman as Sherman but Sherman as Symbol? Like he’s the face they wanted to project onto the whole reunification narrative… Hmm. Kinda makes me feel sorry for the guy. Editor: Indeed. We can see the political theater but that doesn't deny us entry to his character and legacy. Saint-Gaudens makes sure he retains an individuality amidst his symbolic purpose. And Sherman was also quite aware of the problematic legacies of war... I appreciate how Saint-Gaudens lets us sense that tension here. Curator: Maybe that weariness I sensed at the start, wasn't fatigue... Maybe it was him grappling with history, his story as both an American hero, and his name's connection with devastating war tactics. Something of both, preserved in bronze. Editor: It gives me hope, seeing how public art forces such necessary complexities.