Hiram Powers, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, modeled 1869, plaster, 18 3⁄4 x 11 5⁄8 x 7 1⁄2 in. (47.5 x 29.5 x 19.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.98
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Artist
- Date
- modeled 1869
- Location
- Dimensions
- 18 3⁄4 x 11 5⁄8 x 7 1⁄2 in. (47.5 x 29.5 x 19.2 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- plaster
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Portrait male — Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth — nude
- Portrait male — Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth — bust
- Occupation — writer — poet
- Study — sculpture model
- Object Number
- 1968.155.98
Artwork Description
Hiram Powers often thought about giving up portrait busts to concentrate solely on his ideal sculptures. Some opportunities were too tempting to resist, however, as with the portrait of the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Powers modeled the sculpture out of respect for the poet and as a valuable addition to his busts of notable people; the sitter’s brother and sister as well as many admirers of his poetry commissioned several replicas. This portrait is an example of Powers’s later work during the 1860s, when he modeled his busts after the classical Greek herm design, with a squared-off, tapering base.
