National Portrait Gallery USA

07/13/2025

Before she was famous, British actor Lynn Fontanne earned extra money as an artist’s model. She posed for this painting by Wilfred de Glehn in 1912, which was exhibited as “The Green Hat” at the New English Art Club.

Her career took off just four years later when she moved from England to New York City in 1916. There, she met fellow actor Alfred Lunt. The two married and formed a critically acclaimed theatrical partnership. Together, Fontanne and her husband brought a naturalism to acting that transformed American theater. One critic wrote, “They play together… with a fluency that is matchless.” From 1928 until they retired in 1960, Fontanne and Lunt starred in twenty-seven productions.

Fontanne received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in 1935 and was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Kennedy Center in 1980.

🖼️: “Lynn Fontanne” by Wilfrid Gabriel De Glehn, 1912. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Estate of Wilfrid de Glehn, courtesy of Messum’s Fine Art London

07/11/2025

A happy belated birthday to Arthur Ashe. He would’ve been 82 yesterday 🎈

Fifty years ago in 1975, Arthur Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors in a historic victory at Wimbledon, winning the tournament’s singles title.

At the heart of his success on the tennis court was his composure. “What I like best about myself is my demeanor. I’m seldom ruffled,” said Ashe in an interview following his five-set triumph in the men’s final of the 1968 U.S. Open.

Off the court, Ashe always expressed concern for fairness and human dignity, speaking with an eloquence that matched his temperament on the court. He worked to expand tennis opportunities to all, advocated for the end of apartheid in South Africa, and served as the chairman of the American Heart Association. After contracting HIV from a blood transfusion following heart surgery, Ashe raised awareness about the disease before his death at age 49.

🖼️: "Arthur Ashe" by Louis Briel, 1993. National Portrait Gallery USA. Gift of the Commonwealth of Virginia and Virginia's Heroes, Inc.

07/11/2025

in 1804, at dawn, Alexander Hamilton dueled his rival, Aaron Burr. Hamilton was the first ever U.S. secretary of the treasury and Burr was the sitting Vice President to Thomas Jefferson.  
 
Despite their status, and the fact that it was illegal to duel in New Jersey, the two still met to settle the matter on supposed insults. This choice cost Hamilton his life, who was shot first, and swiftly ended Burr’s political career.  
 
Hamilton left a legacy behind as one of the foremost statesmen of the United States. After the Revolutionary War, he co-authored the Federalist Papers, which urged ratification of the United States Constitution. In his role as first secretary of the treasury (1789–95), he laid the groundwork for a strong republic by promoting a national bank and encouraging commerce and manufacturing.  
 
🖼️: “Alexander Hamilton” by John Trumbull (copy after Giuseppe Ceracchi), 1806. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Henry Cabot Lodge.

07/07/2025

This ain't Texas...but it IS the National Portrait Gallery USA 🙂‍↕️

Did you know that you can visit this portrait of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter on the first floor of our National Portrait Gallery?

This photograph was taken by Tyler Mitchell for Vogue magazine’s September issue in 2018. Posing with a classical column, she appears as a goddess or muse. The title of the photo, “See Your Halo” references her otherworldly single “Halo,” which she released in 2008.
⁣
📸: “See Your Halo” by Tyler Mitchell, 2018 (printed 2019). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired through the generosity of Randi Charno Levine. Usage conditions apply.

07/06/2025

Born in Mexico City, Mexico , Frida Kahlo emerged as a leading artist in portraiture during the 20th century.

Her work was intimate both in both scale and in subject matter. This stemmed from a traumatic injury and lifelong health challenges after a streetcar accident at the age of eighteen. She used self-portraits to express her physical and emotional pain. Her visual style, which merged fantasy with realism, drew upon the folk culture of Mexico.

While Kahlo’s first solo exhibition was in 1938, she did not receive widespread critical recognition until the 1970s, twenty years after her death. Nonetheless, her work established that personal experience and culture identity were valid subjects of art.

Happy birthday, Frida Khalo! 🎈

(Image Credits)
1. “Frida Kahlo” by Imogen Cunningham, 1937. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Imogen Cunningham

2 & 3. Natural Color Photoprint Studio (San Francisco, Calif.). Portrait of Frida Kahlo, 1931 Nov. 5. Miscellaneous photographs collection. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

07/05/2025

Fifty years ago in 1975, Arthur Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors in a historic victory at Wimbledon, winning the tournament’s singles title.

At the heart of his success on the tennis court was his composure. “What I like best about myself is my demeanor. I’m seldom ruffled,” said Ashe in an interview following his five-set triumph in the men’s final of the 1968 U.S. Open.

Off the court, Ashe always expressed concern for fairness and human dignity, speaking with an eloquence that matched his temperament on the court. He worked to expand tennis opportunities to all, advocated for the end of apartheid in South Africa, and served as the chairman of the American Heart Association. After contracting HIV from a blood transfusion following heart surgery, Ashe raised awareness about the disease before his death at age 49.

🖼️: "Arthur Ashe" by Louis Briel, 1993. National Portrait Gallery USA. Gift of the Commonwealth of Virginia and Virginia's Heroes, Inc.

07/04/2025

George Washington wrote this letter 229 years ago. 🤯 The reason? He was writing to confirm an appointment with artist Gilbert Stuart. Their session would result in one the most famous painting of George Washington: The Lansdowne Portrait.

Recently acquired, this letter will be carefully restored over the next few months by the National Portrait Gallery’s conservation team at the National Portrait Gallery.

It will go on display next year to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This letter will stand alongside this historic portrait in the museum’s “America’s Presidents” gallery.

Happy and !

(Image Credits)
1. “Letter from George Washington to Gilbert Stuart” written on April 11, 1796. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
2. “George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait)” by Gilbert Stuart, 1796. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired as a gift to the nation through the generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation
3. “Gilbert Stuart” by an unidentified artist, circa 1825. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

06/30/2025

At sixteen years old, Lena Horne got her start in New York City as a dancer at the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem. Chorus girls were paid $25 a week, with three shows every night. ⁣“I had my schooling right there in the Cotton Club,” she said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 1995. “I learned from Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, the Nicholas Brothers, the whole thing, the whole schmear.”⁣
⁣
In 1942 Hollywood beckoned and Horne began her film career. She signed a contract with MGM, making her the first African American to secure a long-term contract with a major motion picture studio. Her renditions of “Stormy Weather” and “Just One of Those Things” became classics. ⁣
⁣
She continued to enjoy a successful nightclub and recording career, and triumphed in the 1980s with her one-woman show, "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music."⁣
⁣
Happy birthday, Lena Horne! 🥂🎶 She was born in 1917 in Brooklyn, New York.⁣
⁣
📸: "Lena Horne" by Florence Meyer Homolka, c. 1950. Acquired through the generosity of Elizabeth Ann Hylton © Florence Meyer Homolka

💬: Chicago Tribune interview by Howard Reich

⁣

06/29/2025

The youngest of fifteen children growing up in rural Kansas, Gordon Parks was a pioneer in the world of photography and filmmaking. To Parks, the camera was “a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs.” ⁣
⁣
In 1948, he became the first African American photographer to be hired at the largest circulation magazine of its day. For more than two decades he created compelling images that addressed the important issues of the moment, including the civil rights movement. ⁣
⁣
Today, we share his legacy on . ⁣
⁣
📸: “Gordon Parks” by Arnold S. Eagle, 1945. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Estate of Arnold Eagle.

06/24/2025

This photo of Andy Warhol was taken by legendary photographer Hans Namuth in 1981.

As an artist, Warhol created many of Pop Art's most iconic works by appropriating imagery from consumer and popular culture—from soup cans to film stills.⁣⁣ He challenged traditional conceptions of fine art.

He also famously called his New York studio the "Factory," which reflected his fascination with the idea of mechanized art production.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
📸: “Andy Warhol” by Hans Namuth, 1981. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. This acquisition was made possible by a generous contribution from the James Smithsonian Society. © Hans Namuth Ltd.

06/22/2025

Born on 1949, Meryl Streep’s dramatic and moving performance in “The Deer Hunter” in 1978 launched her Hollywood career.

She has radiated authenticity in a wide range of roles, taking scripts and making them her own, for more than six decades. Her ability to transform into roles has won her three Academy Awards, a feat only surpassed by Katharine Hepburn.

Some of her most well-known roles are from:
– Sophie’s Choice
– Out of Africa
– Julie & Julia
– The Devil Wears Prada
– Mamma Mia

What is your favorite Meryl Streep movie?

📸: “Meryl Streep” by Francesco Scavullo, 1981. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine. © International Center of Photography and Francesco Scavullo Trust Beneficiaries

06/19/2025