The Providence Athenæum

This bust of George Washington [1732-1799] is one of sixteen that circle the Athenæum’s main hall. Ten of the busts, including this one, were donated by James Phalen in 1840. Phalen, a Providence resident, was a managing contractor for U.S. lotteries. In 1838, Phalen’s Exchange and Lottery Office was located on North Main Street, very close to the newly opened Athenæum.

Raised in colonial Virginia, Washington fought in the French and Indian War and later served as commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He became a national hero and presided over the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He was elected into office as the first President of the United States two years later, and served two terms.

This bust was likely cast from Jean Antoine Houdon’s [1774-1828] full-length portrait of Washington. Houdon came to America from Paris in 1785 to model the statue, and it was installed in the Rotunda of the Virginia State Capitol in 1796. The Athenaeum collection holds a second bust of Washington, a marble sculpture modeled after Jean Antoine Houdon's bust of the president.

Lancaster, Jane. Inquire Within: A Social History of the Providence Athenæum Since 1753. Providence Athenæum, 2003, p. 64.

"The Bust Project/Original Busts."  The Providence Athenæum, 2020, www.providenceathenaeum.org/collections/the-bust-project/original-busts/.  Accessed 19 Sep. 2020.

“Statuary and Artifacts.”  Virginia General Assembly: Virginia State Capitol: Art and Exhibits, virginiageneralassembly.gov/virginiaStateCapitol.php?secid=7&activesec=1#!hb=1&mainContentTabs=2&content=2,includes/contentTemplate.php%3Ftid%3D46%26ctype%3Db%26cid%3D70.  Accessed 19 Sep. 2020.

Robe, Margaret. “George Washington.” 2016. ARTH 401: Cataloguing Curiosity, Wheaton College, student paper.