William Henry Powell
1823–1879 · American history painter
William Henry Powell (New York City, 1823 – New York City, 1879) was an American painter best known for his historical works in the United States Capitol. Born and dying in New York City, he studied under the artist Henry Inman in his home city before receiving a commission from the United States Congress in 1847 to paint the last large historical painting in the Capitol rotunda.
He chose the discovery of the Mississippi River by Hernando de Soto as his subject, a work he completed in 1853 and which was well received across the country. Its success led the Ohio legislature to ask him for a painting of Oliver Hazard Perry's victory in the War of 1812, which became an even more popular picture. One copy of that canvas hangs in the Ohio state capitol and another in the United States Capitol.
In 1865 Congress commissioned a copy for one of the stairwells on the north side of the Capitol. He painted it in a temporary studio in Washington, D.C., made it larger than the original, and finished it in 1873. Powell died six years later. During his lifetime he was elected to the National Academy of Design, and his legacy rests mainly on these large official compositions, which remain part of the Capitol's artistic heritage.
Works (1)
The painting depicts Hernando de Soto and his expedition at the moment the title identifies as the discovery of the Mississippi River. William Henry Powell painted it in 1847. The available record offers no further detail on its commission or composition, so it is best understood as a historical image of an episode in European exploration of North America, shaped by the perspective of the artist's own era.