Herbert Clark Hoover (1874-1964) was the thirty-first president of the United States, serving during the early years of the Great Depression. He began his career as an engineer and was known for his relief work, the feeding of millions of needy people after World War I.
This portrait was modeled when Hoover was secretary of commerce as part of Davidson’s project to sculpt the notable Allied military and civil figures of World War I. The bust has a relatively smooth surface, which is typical of Davidson’s early portraits.
The bronze carries a foundry mark of the Chicago firm of A. C. Rehberger, one of the foundries the artist used in the United States. There is also a cast in the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
