National Portrait Gallery USA

01/12/2023

Amelia Earhart successfully flew from Hawai’i to California in 1935, becoming the first person ever to do so. Ten other aviators lost their lives attempting to complete this flight across the Pacific Ocean. This photograph of her was taken that same year. ⁣
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Earhart had proved she was a courageous and able pilot three years earlier, in 1932. She made history as the first woman to fly nonstop and alone across the Atlantic Ocean. The feat made her an instant worldwide sensation. ⁣
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📸: "Amelia Earhart" (detail) by Artcraft Studio, c.1935. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mrs. J.J. Haher.

01/10/2023

How do you use your identity to challenge injustice? Fred T. Korematsu fought a lifelong struggle to right an injustice that the U.S. government brought upon thousands of Japanese American citizens.

Korematsu was a welder on the Oakland docks before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. In February of the following year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced relocation of Japanese Americans into “internment” camps.

Korematsu defied the order, was sent to federal prison, and was later incarcerated with his family in a camp. He challenged the legality of the detention, but it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1944. Almost forty years later in 1983, Korematsu successfully petitioned to reopen the case and his conviction was overturned. In 1988 Congress apologized for the internments and awarded each survivor $20,000.

How do you use your identity to challenge injustice? Let us know in the comments.

📸: "Fred T. Korematsu" (detail) by Unidentified artist, 1940. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Fred T. Korematsu Family.

01/09/2023

Timeline photos

Felisa Rincón de Gautier was born in 1897, Ceiba, Puerto Rico. Rincón de Gautier made history when in 1946 was appointed as the first female mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as of a capital city in the Americas. She was re-elected four more times, serving until 1968. Her entrance into active political life started in 1932 when she campaigned successfully for women’s suffrage.

Known to her constituents as “Doña Fela,” she was a close ally of Governor Luis Muñoz Marín. She was a tenacious advocate for public works, cultural preservation, and female participation in the workforce. In 1949 she established a program of child-care centers that became the model for the federal Head Start program in the 1960s.

Her 1992 portrait by Puerto Rican artist Antonio Martorell is in the National Portrait Gallery USA collections.

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Felisa Rincón de Gautier nació un día como hoy en 1897 en Ceiba, Puerto Rico. Rincón de Gautier hizo historia cuando en 1946 fue nombrada como la primera mujer alcaldesa de San Juan, Puerto Rico, así como de una ciudad capital de las Américas. Fue reelegida cuatro veces más, sirviendo hasta 1968. Su entrada activa en la vida política comenzó en 1932 cuando hizo una exitosa campaña por el sufragio femenino.

Conocida por sus electores como “Doña Fela”, fue una aliada cercana del gobernador Luis Muñoz Marín y una tenaz defensora de las obras públicas, la preservación cultural y la participación femenina en la fuerza laboral. En 1949 estableció un programa de guarderías infantiles que se convirtió en el modelo del programa federal Head Start en la década de 1960.

Este retrato por el artista puertorriqueño Antonio Martorell se encuentra en las colecciones de la Galería Nacional de Retratos.

01/08/2023

Happy birthday to Elvis Presley, born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935. 🎸🎶 ⁣⁣
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As a young truck driver in 1953, Elvis paid $4 to record a song for his mother’s birthday. Sun Records—then the label of such other young talents as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis—soon signed him, and his first record, “That’s All Right, Mama,” was an instant hit.⁣⁣
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By 1956, thanks in part to a series of sensational television appearances, he was crowned the “King of Rock & Roll,” with a string of recordings that included “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “Hound Dog.” ⁣
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🖼: "Elvis Presley" by Ralph Wolfe Cowan, 1976-88. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of R.W. Cowan.

01/08/2023

Have you ever seen this photograph of Robert Duvall? Abe Frajndlich captured this portrait of the acclaimed actor in 1998 on Duvall's farm in Virginia.

Since making his motion picture debut as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Duvall has appeared in over 100 movies and television shows. His career began in the late 1950s with roles in several off-Broadway productions and soon expanded to include guest appearances in such popular television series as The Fugitive and The Untouchables.

He has created memorable characters in many films and television shows, including M*A*S*H, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, and The Apostle.

📸: "Robert Duvall" (detail) by Abe Frajndlich, 1998 (printed 2000). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Paulette and Kurt Olden in memory of Lily E. Kay. © 2000 Abe Frajndlich

01/06/2023

Jan 22 - A Day of Action

Art is activism and portraiture is powerful. Join the National Portrait Gallery and our partners on January 22nd for "A Day of Action," the culminating event of the initiative.

This event will include art stations, discussion tables, gallery tours, and music in the Kogod Courtyard. Meet changemakers from local universities who are doing the work and discover activists in the museum's "The Struggle For Justice" exhibition.

Learn more: https://fb.me/e/2bGDqDvqP

Sponsored by Capital One.

01/05/2023

Today is . While we don't have birds... we DO have portraits of people AS birds. ⁣⁣

Pick your plumage! Are you...
(1) The Milliner Bird 👒⁣
(2) The Crow 🪦⁣
(3) The Literary Bird 🤓
⁣(4) The Bird of Paradise 🦩

01/04/2023

On , we want to share the story behind this photograph of Helen Keller. Born in Alabama in 1880, Keller became blind and deaf after falling ill with what doctors then called "brain fever" (likely scarlet fever). Under the tutelage of Anne Sullivan, Keller learned to express herself, graduated from Radcliffe College, and wrote a best-selling auto-biography.

This photograph appeared as the frontispiece for her article in "Century" magazine in January 1905. Entitled “A Chat about the Hand,” the piece focused on how Keller used her sense of touch to understand and communicate with her world.

“Paradise,” she declared in the first paragraph, “is attained by touch; for in touch all is love and intelligence.” Underscoring the importance of touch for Keller is the book written in braille on her lap. 📖🌹

📸: "Helen Adams Keller" (detail) by Charles Whitman, 1904. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

01/04/2023

What citizenship rights would you fight tirelessly for? Born in 1876, Zitkála-Šá was a trailblazer in fighting U.S. federal policy towards Native Americans.

She was a part of a generation of Native American rights activists who graduated from mission and government schools, where children were forbidden from speaking their indigenous native languages. Working together, these individuals from various tribal backgrounds advocated for Native American citizenship rights.

Zitkála-Šá led the Society of American Indians and founded one of the most important Native American rights organizations in 1926, the National Council of American Indians. ⁣⁣

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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📸: "Zitkála-Šá" (detail) by Joseph Turner Keiley, 1898. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

01/03/2023

🎶 R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out what it means to me! 🗣🎶 Aretha Franklin became the first woman ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. ⁣
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Franklin merged her childhood interests in gospel singing with jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music. Her voice–because of its depth, range, and emotional power–became unmistakably familiar.
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This poster of Aretha Franklin by graphic designer Milton Glaser was featured in “Eye Magazine” in 1968, two years after she released her iconic rendition of Otis Redding’s “Respect.” Printed on the side of the poster are instructions to “tear carefully along the perforated line.”

🖼: "Aretha Franklin" by Milton Glaser, 1968. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; 2015 Portrait of a Nation Prize Recipient. © Milton Glaser

01/01/2023

✨ Claiming this energy for 2023 ✨

Broadway diva, dancer, singer, and actress has been dazzling audiences since she set foot on the stage as principal dancer in "Call Me Madam" (1951). She’s also the first Latina to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award.

📸: "Chita Rivera" by ADÁL, 1984. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. ©1984 ADÁL

12/31/2022

The National Portrait Gallery mourns the passing of Barbara Walters, who redefined the role of women on television news.

She started at CBS as a producer and writer in the 1950s, and by the 1960s was in front of the camera at NBC. She changed the tenor of her position by not shying away from serious topics and became the first female co-host of the "Today Show" in 1974. Two years later, Walters became the first woman to co-anchor the national evening news after moving to ABC.

She interviewed world leaders, including Israel’s Menachem Begin and Cuba’s Fidel Castro. Walters brought celebrities to tears in her legendary year-end conversations on "The Ten Most Fascinating People."

In 1997, she developed the morning program The View. Initially seen as a gamble for ABC, the program proved a success and is still on the air.

📸: "Barbara Walters" (detail) by Lynn Gilbert, 1980. Gelatin silver print. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution © Lynn Gilbert

12/31/2022

It's the last day of 2022! ✨ What's your New Year's look? 🎩

Chinese American actress Anna May Wong, inspired by actress and friend Marlene Dietrich, was photographed by Carl Van Vechten in 1932, who began making portraits of writers, musicians, actors, athletes, and politicians that same year.

Dietrich, whose tuxedo suit and top hat style became her signature look, starred with Wong in the 1932 film "Shanghai Express" (1932).

Considered the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, Wong's first starring role was in the 1922 silent film, "The Toll of the Sea" at the age of 17.

📸: "Anna May Wong" by Carl Van Vechten, 1932. Gelatin silver print. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Carl Van Vechten Trust.

12/30/2022

Happy Birthday, LeBron James! 🏀 Born in Akron, Ohio, LeBron James was the number-one pick of the 2003 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. During his years with the Cavaliers, he galvanized a previously mediocre franchise, leading the team far into the playoffs. He won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and a gold medal in 2008.

Photographer Michael O’Brien captured several images of James during his senior year of high school in his hometown of Akron for a 2002 issue of ESPN: The Magazine. This photograph landed on the cover of the magazine, and was taken just prior to a practice in James’s high school gym.

📸: "LeBron James" (detail) by Michael O'Brien, 2002 (printed 2010). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Bill and Sally Wittliff. © Michael O'Brien

12/29/2022

Cameras out at the National Portrait Gallery 🎞🖤📸 ⁣
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Hats off to for snapping this striking photo of our third floor.

12/28/2022

Artist Jess T. Dugan's project, “Family Pictures,” spans three generations: "I am interested in the complexity of these relationships, both given and chosen, and how they change over time. While these photographs are highly personal, they also address the broader lack of representations of q***r families in society."⁣
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This photograph is a self-portrait of Dugan with their partner, Vanessa. Dugan began this project in their mid-twenties and reflects that, "over the past decade, these relationships have deepened and evolved significantly."⁣
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Photographs from Dugan's project are on view at the museum as part of the "Kinship Exhibition" on the first floor. Learn more: https://s.si.edu/3gPF7IW

📸: "Self-portrait with Vanessa, 2020" by Jess T. Dugan. Courtesy of the artist. © Jess T. Dugan⁣

12/27/2022

How can you create a path forward for others? Harriet Tubman was born into slavery as Araminta Ross. As early as seven years old, Tubman attempted escape. At fifteen, she defied an overseer and was nearly killed when he gave her a "stunning blow to the head."

Although the effects of the blow stayed with her throughout her life, Tubman marshaled her resolve and nurtured her anger. In 1844 she married a freedman, John Tubman, and in 1849 she escaped to Philadelphia changing her name to her mother’s name, Harriet.

Tubman became an active "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, guiding escaping enslaved people to freedom. She made nineteen recorded trips out of the South and was reputed never to have lost a soul.

📸: "Harriet Tubman" by H. Seymour Squyer, c. 1885. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

12/25/2022

'Tis the season for Nat "King" Cole! 🎶🥁
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The National Portrait Gallery is closed today, but will reopen at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, December 26th.
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📸: "Nat 'King' Cole" by Fred Baker, 1961. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

12/23/2022

Home for the holidays? We are open today and tomorrow from 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. ❄️ Bring the whole family and all your friends!

12/21/2022

in 1956, Martin Luther King Jr. and minister Ralph Abernathy rode the first integrated bus in Montgomery, Alabama.⁣⁣⁣
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King proved to be the ideal choice to orchestrate the Montgomery bus boycott. King galvanized support for the boycott and clearly articulated the case for nonviolent action, declaring, "We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love; we must meet physical force with soul force."⁣⁣⁣
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He found a strong ally in fellow Montgomery minister Ralph Abernathy, and during the course of the boycott the two men forged a strong working relationship and a deep friendship. ⁣Continuing for an unprecedented 381 days, the bus boycott ended only after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional. When the first integrated bus rolled through Montgomery on December 21, 1956, King and Abernathy sat side by side.⁣⁣⁣

📸: Martin Luther King, Jr. by Ernest C. Withers, 1956 (printed later). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution © Dr. Ernest C. Withers, Sr. courtesy of the Withers Family Trust www.witherscollection.org. © Ernest C. Withers.

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12/21/2022

❄️ It's the first day of winter! ❄️ Just looking at this painting of Richard Evelyn Byrd is making us chilly.

Richard Evelyn Byrd was a noted pilot and explorer. Byrd claimed to be the first man (along with crew member Floyd Bennett) to fly over the North Pole on May 9, 1926.

Some experts dispute that Byrd actually reached the North Pole, but at the time his claim was universally accepted. He and his crew were the first men to fly over the South Pole on November 28–29, 1929.

🖼: "Richard Evelyn Byrd" by Richard B. Adam, 1928. Oil on canvas. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

12/20/2022

What skills do you need to be an effective negotiator to resolve conflict?

Sagoyewatha was an Onondowahgah (Seneca) chief who fought alongside the British during the American Revolution. The British gave him the name “Red Jacket” because he wore their red coat.

Later during the War of 1812, Sagoyewatha switched loyalties and convinced members of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy in New York to fight on the U.S. side. Although in his sixties, he fought bravely at the battles of Fort George (1813) and Chippawa (1814).

Appalled by heavy casualties among his own warriors as well as Haudenosaunee from Canada who fought with the British, Sagoyewatha persuaded the Native Americans on both sides to withdraw from the conflict.

In this portrait, he wears a peace medal presented to him by George Washington.


🖼: "Red Jacket (Sagoyewatha)" (detail) by Thomas Hicks (1823–1890), after Robert Walter Weir, 1868. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

12/19/2022

Have you been to the third floor of the National Portrait Gallery? ✨

Photo credits to Katie Melynn, who did an amazing job capturing its beauty during her visit!

12/18/2022

Marilyn Monroe’s original name was Norma Jeane Mortenson. She took on her stage name after she signed a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox and made it her legal name in 1956.

Monroe was an actress and pop culture icon. She worked hard at her craft. Monroe's roles in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) and "Something's Got to Give" (1962) cemented her stardom.

Her talent and success, however, came at a cost. An interview entitled "Marilyn lets her hair down about being famous" was published in "Life" magazine a day before her death at 36 years old. In it, she reflected that “When you’re famous you kind of run into human nature in a raw kind of way… It stirs up envy, fame does.”

📸: “Marilyn Monroe” by Bob Willoughby, 1960 (printed 1986). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Willoughby. © Estate of Marilyn Monroe, c/o CMG Worldwide, Inc. © Bob Willoughby