Exhibit:

Hiram Powers's Greek Slave and Related Images

Preview of images

In a November 26, 1869, letter to E.W. Stoughton, Hiram Powers recounts the history behind his inspiration for the Greek Slave. He describes the emotional distress caused by Turkish atrocities—namely, genocide and enslavement—enacted during the Greek War for Independence (years) and configures the Greek Slave as a representation of the innocence, exploitation, and moral strength of the Christian victims of such brutality. The core of this depiction lies in Powers's personal understanding of the ultimate purpose of art: "as there should be a moral in every work of art, I have given to the expression of the Greek Slave what trust there could still be in a Divine Providence for a future state of existence with utter despair for the present mingled with somewhat of scorn for all around her. She is too deeply concerned to be aware of her nakedness. It is in not her person, but her spirit that stands exposed, and she bears it all as only Christians can" (26 Nov. 1869, Hiram Powers). The rendering of the statue itself also reflects Powers's admiration of ancient Greek art, the artistic combination of human vitality and an idealized feminine form. 

Though Powers would make a total of seven models of the Greek Slave (one original and six subsequent versions) throughout his career, they generally varied very little between iterations. This gallery focuses on contextual information around not only Powers's own versions of the Greek Slave, but its parodies by other artists.

 

Images in this Exhibit

Hiram Powers's "Greek Slave" (1846)

Based on the original 1841-1843 model, this particular iteration of the statue was carved by Powers in 1846. Though the woman's figure and form would remain essentially the same in each successive version, this statue includes the smaller chain connecting the shackles around her wrists that would later be replaced by longer, thicker links that, in Powers's view, took less time and effort to carve.

 Source: The National Gallery of Art
John Tenniel's "The Virginian Slave" (1851)

On June 7, 1851, Punch, a satirical London-based magazine, published a series of critiques of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Though these various cartoons and written criticisms ranged from class disparities to the exportation of cultural and economic production, this image by John Tenniel, titled The Virgininian Slave, Intended as a Companion to Hiram Power's [sic] Greek Slave, was unaccompanied by any additional commentary. By this time, Powers's work was well-known in both London...
Hiram Powers's "The Greek Slave" (1866)

This version of the Greek Slave differs from previous versions in one crucial way: the alteration of the woman's manacles. Though some scholars argue for ideological motivations behind the change, Powers explained the reason as a matter of practicality: "I regard the substitution of the regular manacles for the rather ornamental than rent chain—in former repetitions of the Greek Slave as a decided advantage. Since it distinguishes it from all the others, and is really more to the purpose. The figure on this account can hardly be called a repetition, since it has a difference" (26...