National Portrait Gallery USA

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John Steinbeck’s first commercially successful novel, Tortilla Flat, was published in 1935, the same year that James F...
05/28/2026

John Steinbeck’s first commercially successful novel, Tortilla Flat, was published in 1935, the same year that James Fitzgerald created this portrait of the author. ✍️

Although he was a great contributor to American literature, John Steinbeck retreated from fame. Steinbeck claimed to be “scared to death of popularity,” saying, “it has ruined everyone I know.” Fitzgerald expresses Steinbeck’s reclusive personality by casting half of the author’s face in dark shadow.

In the 1930s and 1940s, both Steinbeck and Fitzgerald belonged to a loosely organized group of artists, writers, and intellectuals in Monterey, California. Although they often argued violently, both men respected each other’s talent and shied away from public recognition.

Steinbeck’s famed novels, "Of Mice and Men" (1937) and "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939), earned him even more acclaim, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962.

✏️ : “John Steinbeck” by James Fitzgerald, 1935. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar F. Hubert. © The James Fitzgerald Legacy Monhegan Museum of Art & History.

Illustrator Joseph Grant, who spent much of his career as an animator for Walt Disney Studios, created this portrait of ...
05/27/2026

Illustrator Joseph Grant, who spent much of his career as an animator for Walt Disney Studios, created this portrait of Anna May Wong in 1932. A legendary Asian American actress, Wong began her career in Hollywood’s silent era, appearing in small parts in films such as “The Red Lantern” (1919) and “The Thief of Bagdad” (1924). ⁣
She successfully made the transition into talking pictures, and her role opposite Marlene Dietrich in “Shanghai Express” (1932) made her an international star. As an Asian American, few roles were available to her from the major studios; the most crushing blow came in 1935, when Austrian Luise Rainer was selected to star as the Chinese character O-Lan in the movie adaptation of Pearl Buck’s “The Good Earth.”⁣
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Her Hollywood career in the late 1930s was relegated to B pictures, and she went into semi-retirement in 1943. ⁣
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✏️: “Anna May Wong” (detail) by Joseph Grant, 1932. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Caroline Grubb and Jennifer Grant Castrup © National Portrait Gallery

Curious about what Adam Savage was up to while visiting? 👀🔎Check out his latest video with Tested, where Adam experience...
05/26/2026

Curious about what Adam Savage was up to while visiting? 👀🔎

Check out his latest video with Tested, where Adam experiences all things conservation with our contract paintings conservator, Anna Ersenkal.

Watch: https://youtu.be/0sY2rGTwnNQ

Happy Birthday to Miles Davis, the "Picasso of Jazz," born in 1926 in Alton, Illinois. 🎺🎂 American jazz composer and t...
05/26/2026

Happy Birthday to Miles Davis, the "Picasso of Jazz," born in 1926 in Alton, Illinois. 🎺🎂

American jazz composer and trumpeter Miles Davis, was one of the most influential and pioneering musicians of his time and beyond.

Constantly reinventing his sound, Davis journeyed through numerous periods, including sessions with John Coltrane and others in the Miles Davis Quintet (1948-50). This collaboration gave birth to cool jazz, a major trend that emphasized Davis's melodic playing style.

In the late 1960s, Davis replaced the quintet with an electric rock band and produced two revolutionary albums, In a Silent Way and Bi***es Brew, which represent a blend of jazz and rock known as fusion.

📸: Miles Dewey Davis by Max Jacoby, 1969. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

World War II hero Leonard Roy Harmon was the first African American after whom a U.S. Navy ship was named.In June 1939, ...
05/25/2026

World War II hero Leonard Roy Harmon was the first African American after whom a U.S. Navy ship was named.

In June 1939, Harmon enlisted in the Navy and, following basic training in Norfolk, Virginia, was assigned to the cruiser USS San Francisco, where he advanced in rank to mess attendant first class.

During the Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942, Harmon was killed on the San Francisco’s deck while helping to evacuate a wounded shipmate. For “extraordinary heroism,” he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

On July 25, 1943, the Navy launched a new destroyer, the USS Harmon, named in his honor. This recruiting poster was one of the ways in which Harmon was remembered.

🖼️: “Leonard Roy Harmon” (full view and detail) by the U.S. Printing Office, 1943. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Mary Cassatt was born in 1844. 🎨🖌️ She painted this self-portrait around 1880 using gouache and watercolor. ⁣⁣A painte...
05/22/2026

Mary Cassatt was born in 1844. 🎨🖌️ She painted this self-portrait around 1880 using gouache and watercolor. ⁣
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A painter and printmaker, she was one of the few women (and the only American) invited to join the circle of French artists known as the Impressionists. ⁣
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Frustrated by the limited art training available to her in Philadelphia, Cassatt studied in France and Spain before settling in Paris in 1874. Two years later, after befriending fellow artist Edgar Degas, Cassatt exhibited with the Impressionists in 1879. ⁣
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🖼: “Mary Cassatt Self-Portrait” by Mary Stevenson Cassatt, c. 1880. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

05/21/2026

Pro tip: You can never be TOO prepared for a museum visit 🔦🧐

So, why is Adam Savage visiting? Well, it's not to bust any myths. He brought the Tested crew to learn from our art conservation team about the mysteries behind preservation work.

What did Washington REALLY think about his most famous portrait? How do you SAVE an artwork from temperature changes? What SECRET TOOLS allow you to uncover paint layers to see an artworks real story?

Stay tuned this Monday, when we go behind the scenes with our Contract Paintings Conservator, Anna Ersenkal.

Today is International Museum Day! 🎨 Which part of the museum would you spend the day in?⁣⁣⁣⁣1. Out of Many: Portraits f...
05/18/2026

Today is International Museum Day! 🎨 Which part of the museum would you spend the day in?⁣⁣
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1. Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900⁣⁣
2. The Kogod Courtyard⁣⁣
3. 20th Century Americans⁣⁣
4. The Great Hall⁣⁣
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Let us know in the comments.

Elsslermania took audiences by storm during the 1840s! F***y Elssler was a child prodigy turned prima ballerina.After wi...
05/15/2026

Elsslermania took audiences by storm during the 1840s! F***y Elssler was a child prodigy turned prima ballerina.

After wide success across Europe, the Austrian ballerina turned her sights to the United States. She was met with huge applause in every city she toured at. Audiences were reported to find her endearing and sweet.

To fill the seats for her shows, she used these hand-painted lithograph posters. Would they make you buy a ticket?

(Image Credits)
1. “F***y Elssler” by Napoleon Sarony, c. 1840. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Monroe H. Fabian
2. “F***y Elssler” by Thomas Sinclair Lithography Company, c. 1840. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
3. “La Cracovienne” by Eliphalet M. Brown, Jr., 1840. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
4. “La Bayadère” by Alfred Edward Chalon, 1830. “Complete Book of Ballets” by Cyril W. Beaumont. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. New York, 1938. Courtesy of
5. “Martin Van Buren” by Charles Fenderich, lithograph by Peter S. Duval, 1839. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the Library of Congress
6. “The Presidents House” by P. Hass, 1840. Courtesy of the

05/14/2026

A special moment with artist Kate Capshaw seeing her work on view for the first time at the National Portrait Gallery during the opening last fall. We are excited to announce that the exhibition is extending through October 17, 2027. 

Titled “The Picture Maker,” Capshaw’s portrait of Steven Spielberg combines painting and a projected film made of new material and archival clips from Spielberg’s early unreleased work. Capshaw wrote of the filmmaker that “…we’ve been looking through his eyes for decades… I wanted to capture what I believe is behind the gaze.”

Visit this portrait alongside three other artworks of the honorees: 
1. Steven Spielberg by Kate Capshaw 
2. Temple Grandin by David Lenz 
3. Joy Harjo by Joel Daniel Phillips
4. Jamie Dimon by Jason Alden

Go to our link in bio to plan your visit! 

🖼️: “The Picture Maker” by Kate Capshaw, oil on linen and single-channel video projection, 2025. Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; on loan courtesy of the artist. © Kate Capshaw

The press described Duke Kahanamoku as a “human fish” because he was arguably the best swimmer of his era. An equally ta...
05/13/2026

The press described Duke Kahanamoku as a “human fish” because he was arguably the best swimmer of his era. An equally talented surfer, he brought surfing to the world, transforming the Hawaiian pastime into an internationally competitive sport.⁣⁣⁣ He won two Olympic gold medals for swimming, in 1912 and 1920. He also introduced the flutter kick to the sport. ⁣⁣⁣
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Kahanamoku toured the world giving swimming and surfing exhibitions, leaving crowds in awe of his board skills. During his travels, he would often carve boards and leave them for the surfers in other countries. This way, they could copy the boards and sustain his surfing legacy. This redwood surfboard from 1928 from the collection of the National Museum of American History is one of the many surfboards that Kahanamoku worked on and shaped. ⁣⁣⁣
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An easygoing, modest man, he later served thirteen consecutive terms as sheriff of Honolulu and became a revered icon during a transitional period in Hawaiian history. Synonymous with the word ‘surfing,’ he is remembered as the sport’s first and most celebrated ambassador. 🌊🏄🏽‍♂️

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Address

8th & G Sts. NW
Washington D.C., DC
20002

Opening Hours

Monday 11:30am - 7pm
Tuesday 11:30am - 7pm
Wednesday 11:30am - 7pm
Thursday 11:30am - 7pm
Friday 11:30am - 7pm
Saturday 11:30am - 7pm
Sunday 11:30am - 7pm

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+12026338300

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