Belle Gibbs, marble,
26 3/4 inches (67.95 cm.) high,
Houston Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston, Texas

Belle Gibbs and Florence Gibbs, 1872

Belle and Florence Gibbs were the daughters of Montgomery Gibbs, lawyer and counsel to the United States Treasury Department under President James Buchanan. Gibbs first visited Saint-Gaudens’ studio in Rome to obtain a cameo for his wife. There, Gibbs saw a clay version of Saint-Gaudens’ first sculpture, Hiawatha. He was so impressed with the young sculptor that he commissioned these busts of his daughters and paid for the completion of Hiawatha. This early patronage by Gibbs was influential in helping to establish Saint-Gaudens’ later success.

Florence Gibbs, marble,
27 inches (68.58 cm.) high,
Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, CA