Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson

Hiram Powers, Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson, 1862, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.64
Copied Hiram Powers, Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson, 1862, marble, 28 1419 3411 18 in. (71.650.328.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.64
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Artwork Details

Title
Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson
Artist
Date
1862
Dimensions
28 1419 3411 18 in. (71.650.328.4 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
marble
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Ibbotson, Alfred Buckingham, Mrs. — bust
  • Portrait female — Ibbotson, Louisa Greenough Powers — bust
  • Dress — historic — classical dress
Object Number
1968.155.64

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.