American Art Collaborative

“A bust . . . is at the same time one of the easiest and one of the most difficult things to accomplish.” Jonathan Scott Hartley, The Art Amateur, September 189
Jonathan Scott Hartley depicted Edwin Booth as Brutus from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. The son of classical actor Junius Brutus Booth, Edwin grew up in the theater. He first appeared on stage when he was eighteen and played the role of the murderous Brutus numerous times throughout his career. He appeared as Brutus with his brother, John Wilkes Booth, in the role of Mark Antony, just months before John was arrested for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln