Augustus Saint-Gaudens was an American sculptor born in Dublin on 1 March 1848. He was raised in New York and later travelled to Europe for further training and artistic study before returning to the United States.
Saint-Gaudens became known for his public monuments commemorating figures of the American Civil War. In addition to his sculptural work, he was interested in numismatics and designed the $20 “double eagle” gold coin for the United States Mint between 1905 and 1907, as well as the $10 “Indian Head” gold eagle coin.
Saint-Gaudens admired Robert Louis Stevenson’s New Arabian Nights (1882) and told their mutual acquaintance, Will Low, that he would be willing to model a portrait of Stevenson should the author visit the United States. This opportunity arose in 1887 - 88, when Stevenson (1850–1894) sat for Saint-Gaudens in New York and later in Manasquan, New Jersey. The relief depicts Stevenson writing in bed, a practice necessitated by his tuberculosis, and is accompanied by an inscription of a poem by Stevenson dedicated to Low and published in 1887.
The first version of the relief, a rectangular bronze, was cast in 1887. The circular format, produced in three sizes and preferred by Saint-Gaudens, continued to be made into the mid-1920s in various iterations, reflecting the artist’s tendency to introduce subtle changes to his designs.
In 1904 Saint-Gaudens created a version of the plaque as a memorial to Stevenson in Edinburgh. Installed in St Giles’ Cathedral, it remains the only memorial to Stevenson in his native Scotland.
