Feb
17

Celebrate President’s Day in the company of greatness

Feeling a little fatigued about the current state of American politics? Refresh yourself and gain some perspective by visiting the National Portrait Gallery’s “America’s Presidents” online.

Entrance to America's Presidents Gallery at NPG with Obama portrait in foreground

A highlight of the Portrait Gallery since the museum’s public opening in 1968, the historic display on the museum’s second floor is the only place outside the White House where visitors can view a complete collection of presidential portraits. The entirely bilingual (English and Spanish) and accessible presentation includes extraordinary works of art, notably Gilbert Stuart’s “Lansdowne” portrait of President George Washington.

Unfinished portrait of Washington
George Washington (The Athenaeum Portrait) by Gilbert Stuart, 1796. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; owned jointly with Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The portraits are grouped into six historical chapters. The first five sections are organized around a historical era and lead off with a presidential figure: Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, while a sixth section examines the more recent history of the presidency. Updated content helps visitors understand historical events—both national and international—that coincided with each President’s time in office.

Unifnished portrait of Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson by Thomas Sully, 1824. (Private collection)

Interactive kiosks in the galleries, each with a 34-inch touch screen, will allow visitors to explore content that sheds light on the nation’s Presidents, particularly with regard to their actions, challenges and legacies. Users will also learn more about the portraits as works of art and be able to look closely at objects using “rotate” and “zoom” features.

portrait of Lincoln seated on chair with chin in hand
Abraham Lincoln by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1887.
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust

After extensive renovations to the exhibition (completed in 2017), the Portrait Gallery launched an enhanced website to accompany the transformed installation. The website  not only brings the museum’s scholarship to a national and international viewership, but also allows the museum to share its wealth of presidential imagery with students, teachers and the general public.

Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt holding riding crop and gloves
Theodore Roosevelt by Adrian Lamb, 1967 after the 1908 original by Philip Alexius de László. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Theodore Roosevelt Association

To celebrate the golden anniversary of the inaugural “America’s Presidents” exhibition in 2018, the Portrait Gallery published, with Smithsonian Books, a new, richly illustrated volume that traces the history of the U.S. presidency from Washington’s inauguration to the present day. The publication offers invaluable insight into the lives and legacies of each of these individuals and will illuminate the timeless intersections that exist between biography, history and art.

Sketch of seated Roosevelt, several sketches of hands
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Study for unexecuted “The Big Three at Yalta,” by Douglass Granville Chance, 1945 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

“When the National Portrait Gallery opened to the public in October 1968, under President Lyndon Baines Johnson, the country was in tumult after having witnessed the assassinations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert. F. Kennedy earlier in the year,” said Kim Sajet, the museum’s director. “And, of course, the country was still mourning the loss of President John F. Kennedy, in 1963. It was a prescient time to offer Americans an opportunity to reflect upon the office of the presidency and give them a chance to think about the qualities they wanted their leaders to have. Now, the National Portrait Gallery provides visitors with a new lens to view ‘America’s Presidents,’—one that will offer fresh content and relevant historical context, giving those of us living in the 24/7 news cycle of today a better understanding of what came before.”

lansdowne portrait of George Washington
George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait), Gilbert Stuart, oil on canvas, 1796, National Portrait Gallery. Smithsonian Institution; acquired as a gift to the nation through the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

The “Lansdowne”: Conservation Analysis and Treatment

After an intensive period of cleaning and conservation, the “Lansdowne” portrait of Washington by Stuart is a the centerpiece of the exhibition, thanks to a gift from Bank of America. The 223-year-old painting has received critical conservation treatment since it was last on view in early 2016.

Using the Smithsonian’s state-of-the-art tools, technology and resources, conservators from the Museum Conservation Institute and the Portrait Gallery have been able to analyze and capture ultraviolet light, infrared reflectography and X-ray images of the painting. These images provided information about Stuart’s materials and working processes, which are integral to the historical knowledge and documentation of the painting. Conservation of the iconic portrait was completed by the Portrait Gallery’s Head of Conservation and entailed a measured approach in the removal of an old yellowed resinous varnish coating. The results of the cleaning have been spectacular, revealing a brilliantly executed portrait by Stuart.


The Obama Portraits

The Portrait Gallery welcomed the Obamas with the unveiling of its commissioned portraits of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald. The portraits were unveiled in a private ceremony as part of the Portrait Gallery’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2018. Read more.

Official portrait of Barack Obama
President Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Museum© KEHINDE WILEY
Michelle Obama Portrait
Amy Sherald, “Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama,” 2018. Oil on linen (photo courtesy the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)

Abraham Lincoln Portrait

Earlier this year, the Portrait Gallery announced the installation of a life-size painting of President Abraham Lincoln by artist W.F.K. Travers. Created from life in 1865, the 9-foot-tall oil on canvas is one of three known, life-size paintings of the 16th president. The historic work comes to the National Portrait Gallery on long-term loan from the Hartley Dodge Foundation, whose founder, Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, acquired the painting from her family in the 1930s. The Portrait Gallery will display the Travers painting in the museum’s ongoing exhibition “America’s Presidents” beginning Feb. 10. 

Travers portrait of Abraham Lincoln standing at desk
“Abraham Lincoln,” Willem Frederik Karel Travers, oil on canvas, 1865. On loan from the Hartley Dodge Foundation, and courtesy of the citizens of the Borough of Madison, New Jersey. Photo by Joe Painter, Courtesy of the Hartley Dodge Foundation.

The installation will precede the museum’s Presidential Family Fun Day, which will offer activities for all ages, including tours of “America’s Presidents” and the exhibition’s new tactile display. The festival will take place in the museum’s Kogod Courtyard Saturday, Feb. 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free. Learn more about the portrait here.


Posted: 17 February 2023
About the Author:

Alex di Giovanni is primarily responsible for "other duties as assigned" in the Office of Communications and External Affairs. She has been with the Smithsonian since 2006 and plans to be interred in the Smithson crypt.