Adams Memorial or Grief, Section E of Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C

Augustus Saint-Gaudens; plot designed by architect Stanford White
1891
cast bronze



All of the wonderful photographs of this sculpture were taken by my friend, Alice Chumbley Lora. She owns the copyright. If you have any interest in these images, please contact her directly: Alice Lora

Marian "Clover" Hooper Adams (1843-1885) as the allegorical figure of Grief

This grave monument was commissioned by writer and historian Henry Adams as a memorial to his wife, Marian Clover Hooper Adams. The allegorical sculpture, a shrouded figure, is popularly known as Grief but was titled by the sculptor as The Mystery of the Hereafter and The Peace of God that Passeth Understanding. A male model was used for the figure, which has an androgynous quality. Adams was an intellectual, society hostess, writer, and talented photographer who developed her own images. She committed suicide at the age of 42 by swallowing chemicals used in the developing of her photographs. She is generally thought to have been the inspiration for Henry James' Daisy Miller (1878) and The Portrait of a Lady (1881).
 



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© 2009 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.