[4][5] The larger than life[6] bronze sculpture depicts Josiah Quincy III wearing a coat and cloak.

[1] One inscription on the front of the base reads: "JOSIAH QUINCY / 1778–1864 / MASSACHUSETTS SENATE, 1804 / CONGRESS, 1805–1813 / JUDGE OF MUNICIPAL COURT, 1822 / MAYOR OF BOSTON, 1823–1828 / PRESIDENT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 1829–1845".

Inscriptions on the sides of the base read "Erected A.D. 1879 from a fund bequeathed to the City of Boston by Jonathan Phillips", "T. Ball Sc.

[1] It cost approximately $18,000[9] and was installed using money from a trust fund established in 1860.

[14][15] The work was surveyed by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!"