One of America's most important neoclassical sculptors, Powers achieved early success as a portraitist before leaving the United States in 1837 to establish a studio in Florence. His portrait of George Washington was modeled after Jean-Antoine Houdon's bust, "Washington from Life," which the famous French sculptor made in preparation for a full-length statue during his brief visit to America in October 1785. Powers had at least thirty "Washington" busts carved beginning in 1838. In some, the shoulders are clothed in contemporary attire, while in others, as in this example, they are draped in toga-like garments in the Roman Republican portrait tradition.
