Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson

Hiram Powers, Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson, modeled 1862, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.19
Copied Hiram Powers, Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson, modeled 1862, plaster, 24 3⁄4 x 19 7⁄8 x 10 7⁄8 in. (62.8 x 50.5 x 27.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.19
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Artwork Details

Title
Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson
Artist
Date
modeled 1862
Location
Dimensions
24 3⁄4 x 19 7⁄8 x 10 7⁄8 in. (62.8 x 50.5 x 27.7 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Dress — historic — classical dress
  • Study — sculpture model
  • Portrait female — Ibbotson, Louisa Greenough Powers — bust
Object Number
1968.155.19
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.19

Artwork Description

Louisa “Loulie” Greenough Powers was Hiram Powers’s oldest daughter, born soon after the death of his first child, Jimmy. She was named after the sculptor Horatio Greenough’s sister, Louisa, who was a close friend of the family. Loulie Powers married the successful English steel manufacturer Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson in 1862. The portrait bust was modeled shortly before her marriage and departure for England. The Ibbotsons later built a huge villa on the property adjoining her father’s home in Florence, which became known as the “marble palace” and is still home to descendants of the Powers family.