author
Edward Augustus Brackett
1818–1908
A self-taught sculptor who also wrote poetry and prose, he led a remarkably varied life that touched art, abolition, and early conservation. His work and writing carry the energy of a 19th-century American trying to shape both culture and conscience.
1 Audiobook
Materialized apparitions : if not beings from another life, what are they
by Edward Augustus Brackett
About the author
Born in Vassalboro, Maine, in 1818, Edward Augustus Brackett became a self-taught American sculptor, author, and conservationist. He began his working life in Cincinnati and went on to build a reputation for portrait sculpture, especially busts, during the 19th century.
His life reached well beyond the studio. Brackett was associated with reform-minded circles and is remembered for interests that connected art with public life, including abolitionist causes. He also wrote, adding another dimension to a career that mixed practical craft, creative ambition, and strong personal convictions.
He spent much of his later life in Massachusetts, where he lived in the distinctive octagon house he built in Winchester. Brackett died in 1908, leaving behind a career notable not just for sculpture, but for the unusual range of pursuits that made him more than a single-discipline artist.