Katherine Foote

Copied Hiram Powers, Katherine Foote, modeled ca. 1828, plaster, 18 3⁄4 x 10 1⁄8 x 8 in. (47.5 x 25.8 x 20.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.93
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Katherine Foote
Artist
Date
modeled ca. 1828
Location
Dimensions
18 3⁄4 x 10 1⁄8 x 8 in. (47.5 x 25.8 x 20.2 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Study — sculpture model
  • Portrait female — Foote, Katherine — child
  • Portrait female — Foote, Katherine — bust
Object Number
1968.155.93
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.93

Artwork Description

In 1828, Hiram Powers enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cincinnati and modeled his first formal sculptures. Four-year-old Katherine Foote, the daughter of John Preston Foote, sat for him in the fall of that year. The cold weather hindered work in clay, so Powers made the initial bust in beeswax. He considered this portrait to be his very first completed sculpture, describing all previous attempts as being left “in the rough.” (Richard P. Wunder, Hiram Powers, 1989-91)