Dr. James G. Playfair

Hiram Powers, Dr. James G. Playfair, modeled 1845, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.111
Copied Hiram Powers, Dr. James G. Playfair, modeled 1845, plaster, 11 3⁄8 x 6 1⁄2 x 9 3⁄8 in. (28.9 x 16.5 x 23.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.111
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Dr. James G. Playfair
Artist
Date
modeled 1845
Location
Dimensions
11 3⁄8 x 6 1⁄2 x 9 3⁄8 in. (28.9 x 16.5 x 23.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Playfair, James G. — head
  • Occupation — medicine — doctor
  • Study — sculpture model
Object Number
1968.155.111
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.111

Artwork Description

Hiram Powers lost his first child, James Gibson Powers, to a brain tumor when the boy was only four years old, soon after they arrived in Florence. One of the physicians at the child’s bedside was Dr. James G. Playfair from Scotland, who frequently cared for members of the Powers family. As a thank-you, Powers offered to model his portrait, and a replica of this bust was given to the doctor before he returned to England in 1845.