Hosmer depicts the Greek nymph Daphne in this bust. After Apollo insults Eros in Greek mythology, Eros shoots Apollo with a golden arrow that instills a love for the river nymph Daphne. Then Eros shoots Daphne with a lead arrow that instills in her hatred for Apollo. Apollo chases after Daphne, but she rejects him. She escapes from Apollo and begs her father, the river god Peneus to transform her, and he changes her into a laurel tree. 

            In this sculpture, Hosmer shows the emergence of laurel branches from the bottom of the bust, which indicates that Daphne is midway through her transformation. Her features are smooth and symmetric, and the bust is made from marble, which are examples of classical Greek elements.