Benjamin Franklin, 1862

Among the most renowned American sculptors of the 19th century, Hiram Powers began his career modeling wax figures in Cincinnati, Ohio. With the encouragement of patron Nicholas Longworth, Powers moved to Washington, D.C., in 1834, where he created portrait busts of prominent Americans, including President Andrew Jackson. In 1837, he relocated to Florence, Italy, then the center of international sculpture, where he achieved lasting fame.

In 1855, Congress authorized the president to commission a work of art from Powers for the U.S. Capitol, citing his national reputation. Although Powers initially proposed an allegorical nude figure titled America, it was rejected. Instead, he offered portrait statues of American statesmen. In 1859, President James Buchanan approved a contract for two statues, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, each valued at $10,000.

The marble statue of Franklin was installed in the Senate wing of the Capitol in 1862. Powers presents Franklin as a thoughtful figure, standing calmly with his hand to his chin. A lightning-scarred tree trunk supports his arm, symbolizing Franklin’s groundbreaking experiments with electricity and his invention of the lightning rod. This sculptural reference to lightning is unique among representations of Franklin.

Unlike Powers’s classical busts, this full-length portrait depicts Franklin in historically accurate 18th-century attire. Powers took care to obtain examples of Franklin’s actual clothing from his descendants, ensuring documentary authenticity. Details such as the creases in the stockings and the plainly worn three-cornered hat emphasize Franklin’s practicality and restraint.

Franklin’s pose, leaning yet firmly grounded, conveys steadiness, intellect, and moral clarity. Powers based the facial features on the celebrated likeness by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, ensuring historical fidelity. This statue reflects Powers’s ability to combine realism, symbolism, and national identity, presenting Franklin not as a distant hero, but as a reflective and enduring figure of American reason and innovation.