Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-07-05
Death of Hiram Powers.

Hiram Powers, the most famous of
American sculptors, died on the 18th
ult., in Florance, Italy, of consumption.
His death was not unexpected, for his
pulmonary disease had long been of a
threatening nature. Born IN Wood
stock, Vermont, July %, 1SO3, he had
almost completed his sixty-eighth year.
He was the youngest but one of a fam
lily of nine children, and his early life
ran among the hills and valleys and
brooks of the State of the Green Noun
tains. He was taught In the common
school and the fields alone. He pick
ed ND some knowledge Of drawing as
Yankee boy ordinarily picks up his in
formation. no one can tell exactly how
or when or where. The rugged Wood
stock hills we're not bountitul, and the
Powers family moved to Ohio, and
Hiram. after the death of his father.
came to this city, found employment in
hotel elreading-roem, became clerk IN a
produce store, obtained a situation
with a maker of clocks, and after n
time became acquainted with Ger
man sculptor, which acquaintance
made his fame. He modelled in plaster
a little, and presently produced some
plaster busts Of no little merit: There
are still specimens ofhis handlwork IN
the city. At the corner of Sycamore
and Second streets there is a figure
which he wrought. He was connected
for seven wears with the Western Mu-
seum as Director, and not few OF his
earliest artistic efforts, representations
of the Internal regions, are still re-
membered in Cincinnati. In lS35 he
went TO Washington and modelled busts
of distinguished men. Two years Ia
ter. with the money thus obtained, and
aided by Mr. Nicholas LongwOrth-af-
ter whom he named a son, who sur
wives him-he went to Italy, and estab-
| lished himselfin Florence, which was
his home for the most part till the day
of his death. His statue of Eve was
nrodueed in 1898, and attracted the IA
yorable notice Of the artists and crit
! les. He was from that time known as
a master. In 1899 he finished the
model Of his 'Greek Slave, the most
famous of his works. The Fisher
Boy" I'll Penseroso, Proserplne, :
L Call1OrDla, AmcIlCif StdtueSo ~nN
busts of Washington, Calhoun, Adams,
jackson, Webster, Marshall, Everett,
Van Buren, and other celebrated men,
are among his best known works.
i Hiram Powers was the most eminent
of the American workers In marble.
He had the artistic impulse, the keen
eve, the discriminating, clasic taste,
the exacting ambition, the eomprehen-
sive ideality, that mark and make the
artist. He was a great sculptor be-
cause he was an idealist- Wendell
Philips and critic were once stand
ing before one of his works. Mr.. Phil
lbs said Of it: This is perfection"
'tPerfectionp said the other; why,
IL reminds one Of Phidias." Palmer,
of Albany. whose white Captive is
a thing of beauty, whose culture IS
purely American, he not until recently
having gone abroad, IS now our fore
most sculptor. Larkin G. Mead, a
Vermonter, like Powers, is doubtless
the second in point of excellence, and
Wilmore. of Boston, ranks next But
neither of them has risen to the level
of the sculptor of the Greek Slave,
The marble beauty which he wrought
did not surpass the beauty and SIM
plicity of his private life. Though Sc
long away from his native country nc
lived and died warm hearted Amer
Jean Cincinnati Enquirer.