He was born on February 14, 1823 in New York City, New York, United States, the son of William Henry and Mary (Cowing) Powell. While he was still an infant the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. In his boyhood he devoted many of his leisure moments to drawing, and his youthful ambition to adopt the profession of a painter was encouraged by the elder Nicholas Longworth.
His first instructor was James H. Beard. In his seventeenth year he went back to New York, where he became a pupil of Henry Inman. He made rapid progress, and soon received gratifying recognition as a painter of portraits.
His chief desire, however, was to win success as an historical painter, and his earliest essays in this field were "Salvator Rosa with the Brigands" and "Columbus and the Egg. " This latter work aroused considerable interest and discussion. In 1847, when Congress undertook to obtain a suitable picture to fill the vacant panel in the rotunda of the Capitol at Washington, the twenty-four-year-old Powell entered the lists, and after a lively contest in which several of his seniors in the profession took part (including S. F. B. Morse, Henry Inman, and Daniel Huntington), the coveted commission fell to him. The subject chosen was "The Discovery of the Mississippi River by De Soto"; the canvas was to measure 18 x 12 feet, and the price was $12, 000.
In order to carry out this important commission to the best advantage, Powell deemed it desirable to do the work in Paris; accordingly, he went thither in 1848 and took a studio, where he toiled at the task for about five years, only relaxing long enough to paint an occasional portrait. He took his work seriously. He also made one portrait of Abd-el-Kader, famous Arab chief, who had been taken prisoner by the French forces in Algeria after an heroic defense of his nation's independence.
When Powell returned to America in 1853 he brought back with him the "De Soto, " which was exhibited in several cities before being installed in the Capitol. It met with severe criticism. After it was put in place, Powell remained in Washington several years, painting portraits of statesmen and government officials.
Later the state of Ohio gave him another opportunity to win fame, commissioning him to paint for the state capitol a picture of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry at the naval battle of Lake Erie as he transferred himself and his flag from the sinking Lawrence to the Niagara. This work, completed in 1863, led to an order for an enlarged replica for the Capitol in Washington, for which, in 1873, the painter received $25, 000. The replica hangs above the landing of the Senate stairway.
He died in New York in his fifty-seventh year.
Powell was married in 1842, and had two sons and three daughters.
