Publication InformationConstantinople Dec 20 1853

Page 1

Dear Powers

I have put up a package containing the U.S. Patent Report for several years, with one or two other volumes on mechanical matters, for you, & some miscellaneous books for the young people, which I beg you will do me the favour to accept. I shall leave them with the officers of the Levant, directed to the care of the U.S. Consulate at Leghorn, & hope they will reach you some time or other, though I fear not very soon.

I had my final audience of the Sultan yesterday, and am now no longer a diplomat. On the 25' we propose to sail for Malta, then spend a few weeks in Sicily, & afterwards go to Rome for the rest of the winter. Whether we shall take Florence in our homeward route I can't say, but it is not probable, and indeed, two old fellows like you & me, separated as we shall soon be by the Atlantic, are not very likely to cross each others path again. In any case, I shall always take great pride in your fame, & great interest in your welfare, and at odd times when you are tired

Page 3

of plaster & marble, I shall be glad to have you scribble a line to your ancient townsman.

If in my small way, while I remain in Europe, or after my return to the U.S., I can be of any use to you, I hope you won't scruple to command me freely. Your children will of course understand that their father's friend is theirs also, & when any of them come home to repatriate themselves, I shall think Mrs Marsh & myself entitled to at least a visit from them --

Mrs Marsh & my niece join me in affectionate

remembrances to you all

Yours trulyG. P. Marsh

M[r] H. Powers Florence

P.S. Shall I by any chance see you, or Kellogg, or Gould, or any of your [...] at Rome this winter? Please remember me to all of them. G P M

G P M

References in this letter:

The painter Miner K. Kellogg (1814-1889) first knew Powers when they were working for rival "museums" (popular exhibitions) in Cincinnati; at that time Powers, who was twenty-three, made Kellogg, who was fourteen, the subject of his first bust, in beeswax. After becoming acquainted with the sculptor again in Florence, Kellogg oversaw the American tour (1846-1849) of Powers' Greek Slave. The two eventually quarreled about finances, and later Kellogg moved to Paris to open a gallery.

Walter Gould (1829-1893), a native of Philadelphia, came to Florence to live and paint in 1849 and remained there for the rest of his life.