Hiram PowersAmerican, 1805–1873John Caldwell Calhoun
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Washington, D.C., United States
RoomLuce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 20B
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
Hiram Powers modeled this bust of John Caldwell Calhoun shortly after the artist arrived in Washington. Senator Calhoun was recognized as one of the most important Southerners in Washington, having served as secretary of war and vice president, and Powers felt it would be beneficial to his career to do the portrait. The bust was so successful that the state of South Carolina raised the money for a full-length statue of Calhoun. The senator helped greatly in securing this commission for Powers, writing that the sculptor’s skill was “unsurpassed.”
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1968.155.72
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
