Horatio Stone was born in Jackson, NY on December 25th, 1808. At his father's insistence that he give up his interest in whittling and concentrate on chores, young Stone decided to leave his rural home and the life of a farmer. Supporting himself through odd jobs Stone managed to acquire medical training eventually setting up his own practice in New York. Around 1848, however, he abruptly left his medical practice and relocated to Washington D.C. to pursue a professional career as a sculptor. Stone's busts and figures of political figures include Alexander Hamilton (c. 1868), John Hancock (commissioned 1858) and Edward Dickinson Baker (c. 1873). Aside from prominent political figures, Stone sculpted a number of ideal allegorical works including Corinne at Rome, Beatrice Unveiling to Dante, Faith, and Uncle Sam.