AN AMERICAN MARBLE BUST OF EVANGELINE

The epic poem Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow follows a young Acadian girl named Evangeline in her search for lost love during the Expulsion of the Acadians. Born in Norfolk, Virginia and having studied at the Cooper Institute in New York, William Couper (d. 1942) spent the most productive part of his career as a sculptor in Florence, first studying under Thomas Ball, but later establishing his own studio. This bust was conceived in 1880 and an example was included in exhibitions of the artist's work held in London and Paris in 1885.