 He was at first a merchant with his brother in the dry-goods business, but studied sculpture under Seth Wells Cheney starting in 1851 and in 1863 exhibited two large heads of Christ and Satan at the Boston Athenæum.As a result of the American Civil War, he lost his moderate fortune, and in 1868 moved with his family to Florence, Italy, where he devoted himself to study and work.His "West Wind", originally sculpted in 1870, stirred controversy in 1874 when it was denounced as a copy of Canova's "Hebe", with the exception of the drapery, which was modelled by Signor Mazzoli.