Eliza Wright was born outside London and educated in music and the arts. She married Robert Ball Hughes in 1830, and the couple emigrated to the United States soon after. Artists were rare in America at the time, consequently, they received a great deal of attention. However, after Robert’s commission to create a statue of Washington Irving fell through, he and Eliza left Philadelphia and settled in Boston. Eliza took in art students and according to Dorchester historian William Dana Orcutt, her pupils “learned from her more than the technique of the pencil and brush; they learned thoroughness, exactitude and unity.” Robert went on to sculpt a bust of mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch, which is located in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. Other works of his are housed in the National Gallery of Art and the Boston Athenaeum. The couple entertained notable guests in their Dorchester home including author Charles Dickens. Eliza’s portrait was painted by the acclaimed artist John Trumbull. She and Robert are buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery.
