Mr. Potter Palmer

Arts of the Americas

1871

Hiram Powers (American, 1805–1873)

Chicago businessman Potter Palmer and his wife Bertha commissioned a pair of portraits in 1871 from Hiram Powers, an American sculptor living in Florence (see Mrs. Potter Palmer). Executed in marble, with folded draperies and restrained features, the busts exemplify the classicizing style that Powers honed in Italy—and some Americans found so appealing—in the mid-19th century. They are among the first works of art purchased by the couple, who soon became major art collectors and philanthropists. Bertha Honoré Palmer, in particular, was a discerning collector, responsible for bringing some of the first works by French Impressionists to Chicago. An important cultural leader, she organized the displays and programming for the Woman’s Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in the city.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Hiram Powers (Sculptor)
Title: Mr. Potter Palmer
Place: United States (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1871
Medium: Carrera marble
Inscriptions: Signed on back: "H. POWERS / Sculp"
Dimensions: 72.4 × 44 × 29.4 cm (28 1/2 × 17 5/16 × 11 5/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Gordon and Janis Palmer
Reference Number: 1990.494.1
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/120515/manifest.json

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.