Hiram Powers

Copied Longworth Powers, Hiram Powers, after 1866, plaster, 23 5⁄8 x 19 x 9 1⁄2 in. (60.0 x 48.2 x 24.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.33
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Hiram Powers
Artist
Attributed to Longworth Powers
Date
after 1866
Location
Dimensions
23 5⁄8 x 19 x 9 1⁄2 in. (60.0 x 48.2 x 24.2 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Occupation — art — sculptor
  • Portrait male — Powers, Hiram — nude
  • Portrait male — Powers, Hiram — bust
  • Portrait male — Powers, Hiram
Object Number
1968.155.33
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.155.33

Artwork Description

Hiram Powers’s eldest son, Longworth, did not have an easy time establishing a career. After his termination from West Point, he enrolled at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, only to abandon his studies before completing his degree. He then traveled to Florence to try his hand at sculpture, but ultimately decided that portrait photography was his true interest. Hiram gave his son a pushcart so that he could peddle his work through the streets of Florence. This portrait of his father has an unfinished quality about it that resonates with Longworth’s earlier tendencies to abandon projects before completion. The fingerprints still visible on the torso reveal the effort that went into the modeling.