America

Hiram Powers, America, modeled 1848-1850, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.75
Copied Hiram Powers, America, modeled 1848-1850, plaster, 23 1⁄4 x 20 1⁄2 x 13 5⁄8 in. (59.2 x 52.2 x 34.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.75
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
America
Artist
Date
modeled 1848-1850
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
23 1⁄4 x 20 1⁄2 x 13 5⁄8 in. (59.2 x 52.2 x 34.7 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Allegory — place — America
  • Figure female — bust
  • Study — sculpture model
  • Figure female — nude
  • Dress — historic — classical dress
Object Number
1968.155.75
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.75

Artwork Description

This bust was taken from the full-size statue America. Toward the end of the 1840s, Hiram Powers decided to create a sculpture that would stand in the U.S. Capitol. He did not receive a commission for this, but hoped that when members of Congress saw his design they would request a marble replica. He never found a buyer for the statue, however, and the only marble version he produced was destroyed in a fire in 1865. Powers was frustrated and disappointed at his government's lack of interest, but America eventually brought the artist a number of requests for replicas. The figure represents America's freedom from tyranny. Her crown is adorned with thirteen stars to represent the original states of the Union.