From early 1858, the sculptor Philippe Grass often visited Alexander Herzen. The writer spent a lot of time sitting for the sculptor who was working on his bust.

The bust of Alexander Herzen was commissioned by the publisher and bookseller Nikolaus Trübner whose London-based company engaged in the sale and distribution of “The Bell” and “The Polar Star” in Europe. Alexander Herzen’s publishing business was flourishing, with the circulation of his works growing and being smuggled into the Russian Empire. Natalya Tuchkova-Ogareva, the writer’s second wife, said that Nikolaus Trübner “idolized” Herzen who brought a lot of income to his company.

The bust was completed in November 1858. “My bust, commissioned by Trübner, turned out to be excellent. I will send you a smaller copy of it — if it turns out as well as the original. The first attempt was not bad at all,” Alexander Herzen wrote to his close friend Maria Reichel. “The bust is well-executed,” he wrote in a letter to his son Alexander. The writer’s beloved daughter, Tata, also wrote to Alexander about the bust,

The original plaster bust by Philippe Grass was kept by the writer’s friend and associate Nikolay Ogarev. One of his contemporaries described Ogarev’s study in the final years of his life,

After Nikolay Ogarev passed away, the bust was transferred to Alexander Herzen’s heirs who later donated it to the museum.

Nikolaus Trübner hoped to make money from the bust by distributing the image of “the London political agitator” Alexander Herzen in Russia — perhaps in the form of a print. However, the publisher was probably not satisfied with the sculptor’s work, as this project was not brought to life.