Epes Sargent Dixwell

This miniature is a wax relief sculpture of Epes Sargent Dixwell. Dixwell was born in 1807 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and spent his entire life there. He was headmaster of the Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in America (founded in 1635), and worked to create educational opportunities for Boston’s young people. He was involved in the construction of the school’s first library and also founded the Boston Latin School Association, which still exists today. In this portrait, the pale wax against the plush red velvet of the case highlights Dixwell’s dignified profile.