Rush, William

William Rush, (born July 4, 1756, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [U.S.]—died January 17, 1833, Philadelphia), sculptor and wood-carver who is considered the first significant American sculptor.

Eakins, Thomas: William Rush

Rush, William: Benjamin Franklin

Rush trained with his father, a ship carpenter, to make ornamental ship carvings and figureheads. During the American Revolution he served as an officer in Philadelphia’s militia and campaigned with George Washington in the city’s defense. Shortly after the end of the war, he set up a shop in Philadelphia, and the figureheads he made there were eagerly sought by the American navy. In 1805, along with Charles Willson Peale and others, he helped found the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and he served for many years as a member of the Philadelphia city council. Rush was instrumental in building the Pennsylvania Academy’s collection of plaster casts, which proved influential in his own artistic development.

Rush, William: Allegory of the Water Works

A number of his wood carvings are preserved in various Philadelphia institutions, among the most interesting of which are the allegorical figures Comedy and Tragedy (1808), the Water Nymph and Bittern (1809), a full-length statue of George Washington (1814), and his vigorous self-portrait (c. 1822). Few, if any, of his ship carvings and figureheads survive.