Mark Twain
Smithsonian American Art Museum

Mark Twain

Unidentified · 1935

bronze
Smithsonian American Art Museum
CC0 — Public Domain
Smithsonian American Art Museum

Under the pen name Mark Twain, American author Samuel Clemens (1835-1910) wrote several now-famous works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. In this plaque, created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the author’s birth, Twain appears with his flowing hair and trademark pipe. Below the portrait, Tom Sawyer stands to the left and Huck Finn to the right. The two characters accompany Twain’s witty admonition to “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

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