Justin Smith Morrill

Preston Powers, born Florence, Italy 1843-died Florence, Italy 1931 · 1875

Justin Smith Morrill spent most of his life in political service. Born in Strafford, Vermont, he became a prominent businessman and was elected to Congress, first as a representative and then as a senator. In this portrait, Preston Powers paid homage to Morrill’s political legacy by portraying him as a Roman statesman. His toga and stylized eyes hark back to the portrait busts of classical Rome, but his hairstyle and sideburns are of the nineteenth century.