author
William Wetmore Story
1819–1895
A gifted American sculptor who also wrote poetry, criticism, and fiction, he built a transatlantic reputation from Rome and became best known for dramatic marble works such as Cleopatra. Born into a distinguished legal family, he left law behind to pursue art and letters full time.
2 Audiobooks
A Roman Lawyer in Jerusalem : First Century
by William Wetmore Story
Excursions in Art and Letters
by William Wetmore Story
About the author
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, on February 12, 1819, William Wetmore Story was the son of Supreme Court justice Joseph Story. He studied at Harvard, trained in law, and even published legal writing early in life, but his interests kept pulling him toward literature and art.
After his father's death, a commission for a memorial helped turn him more seriously toward sculpture. In 1856 he settled in Rome, where he became part of a lively circle of writers, artists, and visitors from the United States and Britain. He wrote poetry, essays, novels, and criticism alongside his studio work, giving him an unusually broad career for a 19th-century artist.
Story is remembered above all as a sculptor, especially for works like Cleopatra, which brought him wide attention. He died in Vallombrosa, Italy, on October 7, 1895, after spending much of his later life abroad, where his studio and conversation made him a well-known figure in expatriate cultural life.