National Portrait Gallery

04/30/2021

Few American sportsmen have ever possessed athletic talents comparable to those of boxer Muhammad Ali; none with such abilities have ever equaled him for charisma and bravado.

Born Cassius Clay, he first made national headlines after winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. Turning professional, he attained the heavyweight crown in 1964. But as powerful as he was in the ring, it was his words and actions outside the ring that made him a larger-than-life figure. His outrageous boasts—often in poetic verse—won him a large following. However, when he joined the Nation of Islam in 1964 and changed his name, controversy ensued. His refusal to serve in Vietnam further angered many Americans and led boxing officials to strip him of his crown. After being reinstated, Ali would reclaim the heavyweight crown, lose it, and regain it again before retiring in 1981.

Image Credit: Float Like a Butterfly...Sting Like a Bee advert, 1977. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Chisholm Larsson Gallery, New York City. © 1977 GCC Beverages Inc. © 1977 Herbert Muhammad Enterprises

Few American sportsmen have ever possessed athletic talents comparable to those of boxer Muhammad Ali; none with such abilities have ever equaled him for charisma and bravado.

Born Cassius Clay, he first made national headlines after winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics. Turning professional, he attained the heavyweight crown in 1964. But as powerful as he was in the ring, it was his words and actions outside the ring that made him a larger-than-life figure. His outrageous boasts—often in poetic verse—won him a large following. However, when he joined the Nation of Islam in 1964 and changed his name, controversy ensued. His refusal to serve in Vietnam further angered many Americans and led boxing officials to strip him of his crown. After being reinstated, Ali would reclaim the heavyweight crown, lose it, and regain it again before retiring in 1981.

Image Credit: Float Like a Butterfly...Sting Like a Bee advert, 1977. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Chisholm Larsson Gallery, New York City. © 1977 GCC Beverages Inc. © 1977 Herbert Muhammad Enterprises

04/23/2021

Smithsonian announces reopening dates for 7 museums and the National Zoo

We're excited to see you! ✨

The Smithsonian Institution said that it will reopen seven of its museums and the National Zoo to the public next month, kicking off a phased reopening after it temporarily closed its facilities because of the pandemic.

04/23/2021

Have you missed us? We've missed you!

Beginning May 14, we will reopen to the public. ✨ Visitors will need to reserve free timed-entry passes for all locations. There will be reduced hours and added health and safety measures. Full reopening information at si.edu/visit.

Have you missed us? We've missed you!

Beginning May 14, we will reopen to the public. ✨ Visitors will need to reserve free timed-entry passes for all locations. There will be reduced hours and added health and safety measures. Full reopening information at si.edu/visit.

04/20/2021

Don't miss new episodes of season 3's PORTRAITS podcast with host, director Kim Sajet! Listen to the podcast on Apple, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and Radio Public. 🎙

Seasons 1-2 available now: https://npg.si.edu/podcasts

Don't miss new episodes of season 3's PORTRAITS podcast with host, director Kim Sajet! Listen to the podcast on Apple, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and Radio Public. 🎙

Seasons 1-2 available now: https://npg.si.edu/podcasts

04/15/2021

Today is World Art Day. Have a little fun, get a little creative!

Don't know where to start? Browse our many Open Studio and Drawn to Figure lessons, led by artist and instructor, Jill Galloway!

🖌: youtube.com/smithsoniannpg

04/15/2021

On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln was attending the play, "Our American Cousin," at Ford’s Theatre, accompanied by his wife and their guests, Major Henry R. Rathbone and his fiancée, Clara Harris.

That evening, the guard assigned to the president had thought it safe to abandon his post. As a result, John Wilkes Booth found it relatively easy to enter Lincoln’s box and shoot him.

Portraiture became part of the mourning process that followed Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865. In the ensuing months, print publishers furnished the image of Lincoln in all guises.

Image Credit: Unidentified Artist, 1865. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln was attending the play, "Our American Cousin," at Ford’s Theatre, accompanied by his wife and their guests, Major Henry R. Rathbone and his fiancée, Clara Harris.

That evening, the guard assigned to the president had thought it safe to abandon his post. As a result, John Wilkes Booth found it relatively easy to enter Lincoln’s box and shoot him.

Portraiture became part of the mourning process that followed Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865. In the ensuing months, print publishers furnished the image of Lincoln in all guises.

Image Credit: Unidentified Artist, 1865. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

04/14/2021

Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood was one of the first African Americans to be awarded the Medal of Honor. In September 1864, as the Union army struggled to advance on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, Fleetwood and 1,100 soldiers of the Fourth United States Colored Troops received orders to attack southern forces entrenched at New Market Heights.

Under withering enemy fire that decimated his brigade and cut down its color guard, he risked his life to keep the U.S. flag from falling into Confederate hands. In recognition of this conspicuous act of bravery, Fleetwood received nation’s highest military award.

Image Credit: Merritt & VanWagner, c.1890. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood was one of the first African Americans to be awarded the Medal of Honor. In September 1864, as the Union army struggled to advance on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, Fleetwood and 1,100 soldiers of the Fourth United States Colored Troops received orders to attack southern forces entrenched at New Market Heights.

Under withering enemy fire that decimated his brigade and cut down its color guard, he risked his life to keep the U.S. flag from falling into Confederate hands. In recognition of this conspicuous act of bravery, Fleetwood received nation’s highest military award.

Image Credit: Merritt & VanWagner, c.1890. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

04/13/2021

According to western lore, after robbing a Nevada bank in 1900 and escaping with more than $30,000, the Wild Bunch (William Todd Carver, Harvey Logan, Harry Longbaugh, Ben Kilpatrick and Robert Le Roy Parker) outfitted themselves in dapper suits and sat for this group portrait, copies of which were sent to the bank and the Pinkerton Detective Agency as a joke.

The Wild Bunch, also known as the "Hole in the Wall Gang," had a varied membership; however, its most notorious members are shown in this group portrait. The heist of the Nevada bank was one of their most successful robberies and one of their final jaunts as a group. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid later escaped to South America, where they continued their life of crime.

Image Credit: John Swartz, 1990. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Pinkerton's, Inc.

According to western lore, after robbing a Nevada bank in 1900 and escaping with more than $30,000, the Wild Bunch (William Todd Carver, Harvey Logan, Harry Longbaugh, Ben Kilpatrick and Robert Le Roy Parker) outfitted themselves in dapper suits and sat for this group portrait, copies of which were sent to the bank and the Pinkerton Detective Agency as a joke.

The Wild Bunch, also known as the "Hole in the Wall Gang," had a varied membership; however, its most notorious members are shown in this group portrait. The heist of the Nevada bank was one of their most successful robberies and one of their final jaunts as a group. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid later escaped to South America, where they continued their life of crime.

Image Credit: John Swartz, 1990. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Pinkerton's, Inc.

04/12/2021

Detroiter to focus on inclusion as curator of Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

Welcome our new Director of Curatorial Affairs, Rhea L. Combs!

“The exposure to having images that look like you, that reflect the range of Americans is is powerful,” Combs said. “It cannot be underestimated.”

04/07/2021

This D.C.-based choreographer creates dances about trailblazers, hoping you’ll embrace their ideals

This D.C.-based choreographer creates dances about trailblazers, hoping you’ll embrace their ideals

The video series from the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company honors civil rights icons, including Marian Anderson and William Ayers Campbell.

04/07/2021

Rhea L. Combs Named Director of Curatorial Affairs at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Rhea L. Combs Named Director of Curatorial Affairs at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

  THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY (NPG) in Washington, D.C., announced a new appointment today. Rhea L. Combs is joining the Smithsonian museum as director of curatorial affairs. Leading th...

04/06/2021

Welcome our new Director of Curatorial Affairs, Rhea L. Combs, effective May 10! Combs comes to the Portrait Gallery from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she has served as curator of film and photography and head of the museum’s Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts.

At the Portrait Gallery, Combs will work with the museum’s Curatorial, History, Conservation and Audience Engagement departments to draw connections between portraiture, biography and identity.

Image Credit: Abe Mohammadione/Ideas United

Welcome our new Director of Curatorial Affairs, Rhea L. Combs, effective May 10! Combs comes to the Portrait Gallery from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she has served as curator of film and photography and head of the museum’s Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts.

At the Portrait Gallery, Combs will work with the museum’s Curatorial, History, Conservation and Audience Engagement departments to draw connections between portraiture, biography and identity.

Image Credit: Abe Mohammadione/Ideas United

04/05/2021

In Search of the Authentic Ernest Hemingway

In Search of the Authentic Ernest Hemingway

An upcoming PBS documentary prompts a deep-dive into the story behind this rarely published Smithsonian portrait of the legendary writer

04/01/2021

City Lights: Perkins Harnly's Victorian Style Was "Fit for a Queen" - WCP

City Lights: Perkins Harnly's Victorian Style Was "Fit for a Queen" - WCP

"Fit for a Queen: Perkins Harnly, Victorian Style, and Q***r Identity in Midcentury America" covers the significance of Harnly's interiors.

04/01/2021

Striking for Fair Wages

Striking for Fair Wages

04/01/2021

How Amy Sherald's paintings capture the spectacularly mundane moments of Black life

How Amy Sherald's paintings capture the spectacularly mundane moments of Black life

In her first West Coast solo show, Amy Sherald unveils paintings made during the pandemic. 'My work doesn’t commit Black life to grief.'

03/31/2021

How Alice Neel's Revolutionary Portraits Put People First

How Alice Neel's Revolutionary Portraits Put People First

A new show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art features 100 of the American artist's paintings, drawings and watercolors

03/29/2021

Halle Berry began her career as a model and transitioned to acting in the late 1980s. Director Spike Lee cast her in her first movie role in Jungle Fever in 1991, a film that focused on racism and in*******al relationships.

Since then, Berry has established herself as one of Hollywood’s best-paid actresses, taking on a wide range of roles, from dramas to action movies. Berry became the first woman of color to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performance in Monster’s Ball in 2001.

Image Credit: Jérôme De Perlinghi, 1999. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired through the generosity of Robert and Jan Newman. © Jérôme De Perlinghi.

Halle Berry began her career as a model and transitioned to acting in the late 1980s. Director Spike Lee cast her in her first movie role in Jungle Fever in 1991, a film that focused on racism and in*******al relationships.

Since then, Berry has established herself as one of Hollywood’s best-paid actresses, taking on a wide range of roles, from dramas to action movies. Berry became the first woman of color to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performance in Monster’s Ball in 2001.

Image Credit: Jérôme De Perlinghi, 1999. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired through the generosity of Robert and Jan Newman. © Jérôme De Perlinghi.

03/28/2021

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, self-described “Texican” and award-winning actor Eva Longoria had her breakthrough in the role of Gabrielle Solis in the series Desperate Housewives, becoming the first pivotal and primetime Latina character in U.S. television.

Her work beneath and beyond the national spotlight—as a philanthropist, social activist, and businesswoman—has garnered her equal, if not greater, acclaim than her onscreen work. Her casual but self-assured appearance in this portrait carries a quality of everydayness that celebrates female power. Longoria is the founder of Eva’s Heroes, an organization committed to enriching the lives of developmentally challenged youth; she has served as executive producer of the documentaries The Harvest and Food Chains, about farm work and social justice. In 2013 she received a master’s degree in Chicano studies from California State University, Northridge.

Image Credit: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2010. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © 2010 Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, self-described “Texican” and award-winning actor Eva Longoria had her breakthrough in the role of Gabrielle Solis in the series Desperate Housewives, becoming the first pivotal and primetime Latina character in U.S. television.

Her work beneath and beyond the national spotlight—as a philanthropist, social activist, and businesswoman—has garnered her equal, if not greater, acclaim than her onscreen work. Her casual but self-assured appearance in this portrait carries a quality of everydayness that celebrates female power. Longoria is the founder of Eva’s Heroes, an organization committed to enriching the lives of developmentally challenged youth; she has served as executive producer of the documentaries The Harvest and Food Chains, about farm work and social justice. In 2013 she received a master’s degree in Chicano studies from California State University, Northridge.

Image Credit: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2010. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © 2010 Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

03/27/2021

One of America’s most important writers and poets, Maya Angelou wrote a series of seven autobiographical novels that are an indelible record of resistance and achievement by African Americans, particularly African American women. Angelou had a difficult and endangered childhood, shuttling back and forth between relatives in the North and South. She suffered from economic hardship and sexual abuse, which she documented in her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), and in subsequent volumes. Her subject was always her own life, and her autobiographies are not necessarily strictly factual or literally “true,” but rather a retelling of emotional truths. A politically engaged writer, Angelou was also a poet; she read her poem “On the Pulse of the Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration.

Image Credit: Brigitte Lacombe, 1987. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Brigitte Lacombe.

03/26/2021

Actress and activist Susan Sarandon started her film career as a self-declared "hippie chick" in Joe (1970) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), then charted an independent course through five decades of films. Sarandon’s mix of wide-eyed wonder and relaxed resilience marks her singular film persona, captured here by Brigitte Lacombe. Her cool sensuality runs through her roles in Pretty Baby (1978) and Atlantic City (1980)—both directed by Louis Malle—and her tough-mama turns in Bull Durham (1988) and Thelma & Louise (1991). She has often explored women’s sexuality openly on screen, from her le***an scene in The Hunger (1983) to the class struggle of White Palace (1990). Over the past generation, Sarandon has brought together her acting and social activism, narrating various documentaries on political issues and earning an Oscar for Dead Man Walking (1995).

Image Credit: Brigitte Lacombe, 1983. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Brigitte Lacombe.

Actress and activist Susan Sarandon started her film career as a self-declared "hippie chick" in Joe (1970) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), then charted an independent course through five decades of films. Sarandon’s mix of wide-eyed wonder and relaxed resilience marks her singular film persona, captured here by Brigitte Lacombe. Her cool sensuality runs through her roles in Pretty Baby (1978) and Atlantic City (1980)—both directed by Louis Malle—and her tough-mama turns in Bull Durham (1988) and Thelma & Louise (1991). She has often explored women’s sexuality openly on screen, from her le***an scene in The Hunger (1983) to the class struggle of White Palace (1990). Over the past generation, Sarandon has brought together her acting and social activism, narrating various documentaries on political issues and earning an Oscar for Dead Man Walking (1995).

Image Credit: Brigitte Lacombe, 1983. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Brigitte Lacombe.