Hiram PowersAmerican, 1805–1873Loulie's Hand
May one see it?
Unknown: the museum keeps its counsel
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Washington, D.C., United States
The owner is known. Whether it is on view today, the museum does not say, and we were not trained to guess.
- In this state since
- Sep 25, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the sculpture
Hiram Powers’s first daughter, Louisa Greenough Powers, was born in 1838. Powers made many casts of his daughter’s hands and forearms, including Louisa Powers’ Hand, taken when she was one year old. This cast was displayed in the artist’s studio on a luxurious green cushion. From this, Powers modeled a sculpture of a small hand resting on an open sunflower, a symbol of devotion. The piece became so popular that clients requested replicas for many years after the first version was completed. The later Loulie’s Hand, modeled in 1851, was commissioned by James Lenox, a New York merchant and philanthropist.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1968.155.129
What it shows
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 3 days ago
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
