Justin Smith Morrill
About the sculpture
Justin Smith Morrill spent most of his life in political service. Born in Strafford, Vermont, he became a prominent businessman and was elected to Congress, first as a representative and then as a senator. In this portrait, Preston Powers paid homage to Morrill’s political legacy by portraying him as a Roman statesman. His toga and stylized eyes hark back to the portrait busts of classical Rome, but his hairstyle and sideburns are of the nineteenth century.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1982.48
