Artist/Maker
William Henry Powell
(American, 1823 – 1879)
Depicted
Laura Keene
(ca. 1826 - 1873)
Laura Keene (ca. 1826-1873)
1858
Oil on canvas
Unframed: 27 × 22 in. (68.6 × 55.9 cm)
Framed: 32 1/2 × 29 in. (82.6 × 73.7 cm)
Framed: 32 1/2 × 29 in. (82.6 × 73.7 cm)
Purchase, The Louis Durr Fund
1940.199
Born in England, this famous actress took Laura Keene as her stage name; her real name was Mary Moss. She made her debut in America at Wallack's Lyceum Theatre in New York in 1852 and was at the height of her popularity on the New York stage when Powell painted this portrait. She achieved one of her greatest successes in "Our American Cousin"; she was playing the leading role in this play at Ford's Theatre in Washington on the night of April 14, 1865, when President Lincoln was shot there.
Markingssignature and date: at right: "Powell / 1858"
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Marie Constantin
ca. 1890–1895
1946.195
