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Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow 1850–1926
The Boston physician William Sturgis Bigelow is remembered as a collector of Japanese art. As a young medical researcher, he had studied with Louis Pasteur in Paris and established one of the first bacteriology laboratories in the United States. However, in 1882 he made a trip to Japan that changed the course of his life. Fascinated by the culture, he remained until 1889 and continued his study of Asian art and religions after returning to Boston. In this portrait, he wears the Japanese Imperial Order of the Rising Sun, at the time the highest distinction bestowed on civilians.
Upon his death, Bigelow donated his collection of more than 40,000 works of Japanese art, including 30,000 prints, to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, helping to create the largest collection of Japanese art outside of Japan. This portrait was commissioned to honor his contributions to the Museum.
Charcoal and white chalk on paper, 1917
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; gift of the Committee on the Museum
This is the National Portrait Gallery sign in the exhibit. |