Acquired by William Corcoran of Washington, DC, 1851

Acquired by William Corcoran of Washington, DC, 1851

Soon after winning The Greek Slave at the Western Art Union prize-draw, James D’Arcy sold the statue to the banker William Wilson Corcoran (1798–1888) for $3,500. Corcoran was a banker and financier who had made his fortune with government loans during the Mexican-American War. He began collecting in earnest in the late 1840s. (See Martina Droth's essay.)