Hiram Powers

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
  • Portrait male — Powers, Hiram — nude
  • Portrait male — Powers, Hiram — bust
  • Portrait male — Powers, Hiram
  • Occupation — art — sculptor
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.

Works by this artist (2 items)

Ginny Ruffner, Inventing the Music of Beauty, 1991, glass, oil paint, colored pencil, and ink, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ann and Thomas Cousins, the James Renwick Alliance, and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1992.81
Inventing the Music of Beauty
Artist
Date1991
glass, oil paint, colored pencil, and ink
On view
Ginny Ruffner, A Girl's Guide to Fashion Evolution, 1987, glass and acrylic paint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carol and Don Wiiken, 1999.57.17
A Girl’s Guide to Fashion Evolution
Artist
Date1987
glass and acrylic paint
On view

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Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend, Mogo Couplet SOSA, 1988, glass, wood and paint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carol and Don Wiiken, 1999.57.14
Mogo Couplet SOSA
Artist
Date1988
glass, wood and paint
Not on view
Marvin Lipofsky, California Loop Series #7, 1968, copper-plated glass, paint, rayon flock, and floatation foam, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist in memory of Henry and Mildred Lipofsky, 1997.84.1, © 1969, Marvin B. Lipofsky
California Loop Series #7
Artist
Date1968
copper-plated glass, paint, rayon flock, and floatation foam
Not on view
Susan Plum, Carroza Solar, ca. 1992, blown and lampworked glass, fired lusters, paint and metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of MCI, 2001.89.10
Carroza Solar
Artist
Dateca. 1992
blown and lampworked glass, fired lusters, paint and metal
On view