Admiral David Glasgow Farragut

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This bust derives from a study Saint-Gaudens made for his first major commission, the Farragut Monument, unveiled in New York City’s Madison Square in 1881. The statue commemorated the Civil War’s most celebrated naval commander, Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (1801–1870), who earned glory for the 1862 capture of New Orleans and his victory at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. During that battle, he issued his famous command, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” Here, Farragut’s furrowed brow, squinting eyes, and resolute mouth exemplify the richly modeled style for which Saint-Gaudens is renowned.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art