Commemorative marble statue of William Huskisson commissioned from John Gibson by Eliza Huskisson, and dated 1836.
* Historical interest: an eminent politician and economist, earning a reputation as ‘the first financier of the age’, Huskisson is also remembered for his dramatic death as a result of being struck by Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’, making him a very early, if not the first, casualty of the railway age; * Artistic: John Gibson, one of the most admired sculptors of his day, created three versions of his statue of Huskisson, insisting on Roman rather than contemporary dress as fitting the dignity of both subject and sculptor; encouraged by Huskisson’s widow, Gibson made this second version a closer likeness than the first; * Historical interest (the commission): commissioned for the Liverpool Customs House, this version was instead placed in the Royal Exchange London in 1848, and has stood in Pimlico Gardens since 1915.
Uploaded by Kirstin Sibley
on 27 October 2021
Photo ID: 275142
Building ID: 101431794
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