Artist. A neoclassical sculptor, his most famous work, "The Greek Slave," was possibly the most popular statue by an American in the 19th century. Born on a farm, the eighth of nine children, Powers grew up in near-poverty. His father died after moving the family to Ohio. With little formal schooling, Powers worked at a series of jobs in Cincinnati until, at age 17, he found work in a clock and organ factory, becoming a skilled artisan. About 1828, he began to study model-making at the Cincinnati studio of Frederick Eckstein, an artist from Prussia who introduced him to the mystical religious teachings of Emmanuel Swedenborg. In 1829, Powers took a job in the waxworks of a Cincinnati museum run by Joseph Dorfeuille, helping him create a stunning representation of "The Infernal Regions" based on scenes from Dante. In 1832, Powers married Elizabeth Gibson. In 1834, the couple moved to Washington, D.C. There, with backing from wealthy patrons, Powers made busts from life of some of the most famous Americans of the day, including Andrew Jackson, John Marshall, John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster. In 1837, Powers moved with his wife and their two children to Florence, where he stayed for the rest of his life. His studio in Florence was visited by many famous people for whom he made portrait busts; but he achieved his greatest fame as the creator of "The Greek Slave," which he produced in 1843. An idealized nude figure purported to depict a young Greek Christian woman enslaved by the Ottoman Turks during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1831), the statue caused a sensation when it toured the United States in 1847 and 1848. The success of the American tour was repeated when the statue was displayed at London's Crystal Palace exhibition in 1851. Although the statue's popularity surely owed more to eroticism than to anti-slavery feeling, it provoked an anti-slavery parody from the British satirical magazine "Punch" and anti-slavery poems from Elizabeth Barrett Browning and John Greenleaf Whittier. Powers made six marble replicas of the statue, one of which is in the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. Powers died in Florence and was buried in the English Cemetery (Cimitero Accatolico) there. He and his wife had nine children, three of whom are also buried in the English Cemetery.
Artist. A neoclassical sculptor, his most famous work, "The Greek Slave," was possibly the most popular statue by an American in the 19th century. Born on a farm, the eighth of nine children, Powers grew up in near-poverty. His father died after moving the family to Ohio. With little formal schooling, Powers worked at a series of jobs in Cincinnati until, at age 17, he found work in a clock and organ factory, becoming a skilled artisan. About 1828, he began to study model-making at the Cincinnati studio of Frederick Eckstein, an artist from Prussia who introduced him to the mystical religious teachings of Emmanuel Swedenborg. In 1829, Powers took a job in the waxworks of a Cincinnati museum run by Joseph Dorfeuille, helping him create a stunning representation of "The Infernal Regions" based on scenes from Dante. In 1832, Powers married Elizabeth Gibson. In 1834, the couple moved to Washington, D.C. There, with backing from wealthy patrons, Powers made busts from life of some of the most famous Americans of the day, including Andrew Jackson, John Marshall, John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster. In 1837, Powers moved with his wife and their two children to Florence, where he stayed for the rest of his life. His studio in Florence was visited by many famous people for whom he made portrait busts; but he achieved his greatest fame as the creator of "The Greek Slave," which he produced in 1843. An idealized nude figure purported to depict a young Greek Christian woman enslaved by the Ottoman Turks during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1831), the statue caused a sensation when it toured the United States in 1847 and 1848. The success of the American tour was repeated when the statue was displayed at London's Crystal Palace exhibition in 1851. Although the statue's popularity surely owed more to eroticism than to anti-slavery feeling, it provoked an anti-slavery parody from the British satirical magazine "Punch" and anti-slavery poems from Elizabeth Barrett Browning and John Greenleaf Whittier. Powers made six marble replicas of the statue, one of which is in the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. Powers died in Florence and was buried in the English Cemetery (Cimitero Accatolico) there. He and his wife had nine children, three of whom are also buried in the English Cemetery.
Bio by: Michael Walter
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HIRAM POWERS/ DIED JUNE 27TH 1873/ AGED 68/
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