"Gilbert Stuart had nothing to do with the Draped Bust Design"
Nysoto
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The title quote is from an advertisement for a new book by long-time EAC Penny-Wise Editor Harry Salyards, Eagle Poised on a Bank of Clouds: The United States Silver Dollars of 1795-1798 .
"Neither Stuart nor Anne Willing Bingham had any role."
Salyards has 42 pages including the Appendix of excellent fact-based archival research to debunk the myth.
The true story of how the Robert Scot and John Eckstein Draped Bust design was developed is far more interesting, along with the change from the Small Eagle reverse design to the Heraldic Eagle design.
The Stuart myth of the Draped Bust design is entrenched throughout the internet and many books on the subject. It will take some time for the myth to be stated as such in references.
I highly recommend the book, just 300 copies printed:
...and the subject designs on a half dollar and dollar:
Comments
For more information on how the Stuart myth began, this is the complete quote from an 1861 book by Mint Director James Ross Snowden, A Description of the Medals of Washington; of National and Miscellenous Medals; and of Other Objects of Interest in the Museum of the Mint,
"The head of Liberty on the dollar of 1795 was designed by Stuart, the celebrated portrait painter, at the request of the Director, as we learn from a relation of the family; Stuart facetiously remarking that Liberty on the other coins had run mad - referring to the disheveled hair on the head of Liberty on the previous coins - we will bind it up, and thus render her a steady matron."
That was it. No sources were given.
Thank you for the heads-up. I ordered a copy.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
The Anne Willing Bingham myth was started as speculation by Don Taxay in his otherwise excellent book on the U.S. Mint in 1966:
"As most artists work from models, it is tempting to speculate on the possible identity of Stuart's Liberty Head. A single portrait among his collected works, that of Mrs. William Bingham (Ann Willing), who he first painted in England in 1780, bears a close resemblance,..."
Thus, a fable was created to give the Draped Bust design a story, and it subsequently was written as fact in numismatic books, popular books, the internet, and even books by historians including Pulitzer Prize winner David Hackett Fischer in his 2005 book Liberty and Freedom: A Visual History of America's Founding Ideas.
Taxay also erroneously stated that Mint Director De Saussure did not trust Scot to engrave the Draped Bust design, and that John Eckstein engraved the dies!
Snowden started the Stuart myth, Taxay then embellished the myth with the Bingham fable, as well as discrediting Robert Scot for the engraving of the Draped Bust design - which started the decades of mud-slinging to Scot - all based on mistakes, lies, and myths.
The interesting twists and turns of personal interplay and competitions in history. Then impressions become recorded and later viewed as evidence - instead of hearsay. Fortunately - often real evidence can be discovered to allay the myths... but not always. Cheers, RickO
Funny how myths get started. Randy Wiley was very clear in his work on 1861-O half dollars that his assignment of coining authorities to the various die varieties is speculative. Today collectors live and die by the service's attributions of the die variety, and the ones speculatively attributed to the CSA draw strong premiums.
I was lucky to attend his talk at the ANA last summer. Really excellent research.
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
How was the myth created, entrenched, and propagated?
@Zoins asked:
Out of respect for the author of a newly released book, I will dodge the first part of your question other than an extensive multi-pronged approach was used to refute the myth. Details of how and why the myth was created, according to Salyards, will no doubt be reported in formal reviews of the book. It would be best to buy the book to get the full story.
The Stuart myth became entrenched and embellished with the addition of the Anne Willing Bingham story, with Don Taxay's 1966 book The U.S. Mint and Coinage (in my opinion). Taxay did not question the long sentence about Stuart from the Snowden book and stated the Stuart story as fact. Other reference books simply followed Taxay. The Stuart myth became further entrenched and propagated through the internet - Wikipedia, Coinfacts, NGC, and many other internet sites state the Stuart story as fact.
Part of the reason that I started this post was because of other recent threads that included Stuart and Bingham - people are just copying from the internet sources that I mentioned.
On the @Currin excellent Hansen Watch thread, I politely suggested on page 86 that the engraver be included in the long descriptions of the designs. This is part of what was included for the Draped Bust design from NGC:
"Reportedly at the urging of President George Washington himself, Director DeSaussure turned to famed artist Gilbert Stuart, who is today better remembered for his portrait of Washington employed on our current one-dollar note. Stuart is said to have used as his model a Philadelphia socialite widely considered to be the most beautiful woman of her day: Mrs. William Bingham (nee Ann Willing). Contemplating the Flowing Hair motif in 1795, Stuart is said to have remarked that Liberty had “run mad,” adding: “We will bind it up and thus render her a steady matron.” Gilbert Stuart’s drawing was transferred to plaster by a Providence, Rhode Island artist named John Eckstein, and Mint Chief Engraver Robert Scot then executed the coinage dies. Stuart, disappointed with Scot’s interpretation, disavowed the work entirely, and it was not generations later that his connection to it was rediscovered."
This is what I meant by being entrenched - supposedly reliable sources are stating the Stuart story as fact. Time will tell how much influence Salyard's book will have and how long it will take to make changes.
Good to know. It will be interesting to see how the sources mentioned respond.