Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford B. Hayes modeled during his presidential campaign

This plaster bust of Rutherford B. Hayes by Olin Levi Warner is on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

"In the summer of 1876, sculptor Olin Warner tried to interest the two major political parties in commissioning busts of their presidential candidates to be replicated for campaigning. The Republican camp, which was having a hard time drumming up interest in the rather colorless Rutherford B. Hayes, took advantage of the proposal. At least one Hayes supporter pinned great hopes on the resulting likeness's ability to persuade a so-far doubting public that Hayes was 'a man of power.' The venture for replicating the bust on a large scale, however, never went very far, and only a few copies were ever made." -- National Portrait Gallery