| TITLE
| Honorable John Pitman |
| CREATOR | Annable, George O., 1829-1887 |
| DATE | 1853 |
| DIMENSIONS | 20 x 29.5 x 10.5 in. |
| ORIGINAL FORMAT | Sculpture |
| MEDIUM | Marble |
| PHYSICAL NOTE | The marble sculpture presents Hon. John Pitman in traditional Roman toga - it was commissioned by “a number of friends of the Athenaeum” to honor the first President of the Board |
| DONOR | Friends of the Athenaeum |
| DATE OF ACCESSION | 1853 |
| LOCATION | Providence Athenæum: Main Library |
John Pitman served as a U.S. District Court judge in Providence for nearly forty years, beginning in 1824, and also served as the first President of the Providence Athenæum, 1836-1853.
This portrait bust was commissioned by friends of the Athenæum from the local artist, George O. Annable. Annable had studied drawing under miniaturist Jane Catherine Chapin but later turned to sculpture, working mainly in cameo cutting. Though he typically worked in small scale, he completed at least two portrait busts of local community leaders before leaving Providence for Brooklyn, New York. This marble sculpture recognized Pitman’s efforts on behalf of the Athenæum and joined the institution’s collection of plaster busts representing important scholars and statesmen.