Name/Title
Bust of Sarah Buchanan Campbell PrestonEntry/Object ID
1972.186.1Description
Carrara marble bust of a woman with updo. She is wearing simple-style covering that rests slightly lower on subject's left shoulder. The bust is mounted on marble plinth and marble pedestal. There is noticeable damage to the nose and upper lip.Type of Sculpture
Free StandingArtwork Details
Medium
MarbleSubject Person
Sarah Buchanan Campbell Preston LowndesContext
Sarah Buchanan "Buckie" Campbell Preston (1842–1880) lived the majority of her life in Columbia. The daughter of John Smith Preston (1809–1881) and Caroline Martha Hampton (1807–1883), Buckie was born at the Hampton-Preston Mansion. Recorded as the most beautiful of all Southern belles by Henry Simmons in "A Concise Encyclopedia of the Civil War," Buckie was sought after by many Southern men. Mary Chesnut (1823–1886) stated, "All men worship Buck. How can they help it, she is so lovely."
An avid equestrian and equipped with an education from Paris, Buckie married Colonel Rawlins Lowndes (1838–1919), once an aid to her cousin, Wade Hampton III (1818–1902). Her 1868 wedding was the final family marriage to occur in the Hampton-Preston Mansion, and following it, Buckie and her husband spent a significant amount of time in Charleston, both at Oaklands Plantation and at their home at 51 East Bay Street, which still remains today. They had three children: Charles Tidyman Lowndes (1868–1893), Caroline Hampton Lowndes (1871–1963), and Sabina Elliot Lowndes (1878–1889), the oldest of which was born at the Hampton-Preston Mansion.
Buckie died at the age of thirty-eight in Columbia. The cause of death is unknown, but it was believed that she was undergoing an operation at the time. This bust, sculpted by Hiram Powers (1805–1873), once sat on her grave at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. It was removed in the late 1900s due to vandalism and then donated to Historic Columbia.
Caroline Hampton Preston (1807–1883) and John Smith Preston (1809–881) were significant patrons of the renowned Hiram Powers. In addition to creating many busts and sculptures for the family, he also sculpted a fountain for the Hampton-Preston Mansion, which has been conserved by Historic Columbia. It's reproduction is permanently displayed and operational in the Hampton-Preston gardens.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1858 - circa 1860Dimensions
Dimension Description
Bust Dimensions (Width = max shoulder)Height
26-3/4 inWidth
19 inDimension Description
Base DimensionsHeight
5-1/2 inWidth
15 inDepth
10 inRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Sarah Buchanan Campbell Preston Lowndes
