National Portrait Gallery | Face to Face blog

Portrait of Barry Goldwater by Burton Silverman

Barry Goldwater, late senator from Arizona and longtime Smithsonian supporter, would have celebrated his 101st birthday on January 1.

Goldwater’s loss to Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 presidential election was a setback to the far right wing of the Republican Party, but his candidacy foreshadowed the GOP’s shift toward a more conservative base, a shift that would eventually propel Ronald Reagan to the White House.

Former NPG historian Maggie Christman states:

Out of Barry Goldwater’s losing campaign in 1964 came the Reagan revolution of 1980 and by happenstance brought Barry Goldwater into an official connection with the National Portrait Gallery.  In keeping with the recommendation of Smithsonian Secretary Dillon Ripley, the chairman of the Portrait Gallery’s Commission customarily came from the Smithsonian Board of Regents. Goldwater, a Regent since 1977, was chosen as a replacement for the Democrat who had lost his election and with it his appointment as a Regent from the Senate.

Previously Goldwater—an ardent photographer of the landscape and people of Arizona—had helped with the passage of the January 1976 bill giving the Portrait Gallery the right to collect photographs. He remained on the Commission long enough to shepherd a bill through the Congress allowing the Portrait Gallery to acquire the Frederick Hill Meserve collection of 4,419 glass-plate negatives from the Mathew Brady studio, but resigned on April 21, 1982. “It has become perfectly obvious to me that I have neither the time nor the background nor the ability to continue as Chairman of the National Portrait Gallery,” he wrote in his characteristic blunt and honest way. “My concern and my interest is entirely in western art, and I have never been able to bring myself around to becoming excited about art of any other type.”

Goldwater’s primary contribution to the Smithsonian was recognized in 1987 when, at a dinner in the Portrait Gallery’s Hall of Presidents, he was presented with the Samuel P. Langley Gold Medal for his lifelong contribution to aviation and his seminal role in the building of the National Air and Space Museum.

Goldwater was a conservative’s conservative. His campaign button in 1964 (below) read, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Goldwater died in 1998.
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Barry Goldwater / Unidentified artist / Pin, 1964 / Smithsonian Institution 

Barry Goldwater / Burton Philip Silverman / Gouache and pencil on paper, c. 1988 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; purchased with funds provided by the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc.

"Sarah, David" by Yolanda del Amo

Sarah, David by photographer Yolanda del Amo is on display at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009. Del Amo’s portrait, and works from forty-eight other artists, are on display until August 22, 2010.  To view images of the works, see the exhibition Web site.

Although Sarah, David was not place-winning, it was highlighted as a commended piece.  In her artist statement, Yolanda del Amo writes:

Sarah came to visit me in my studio one day and she was carrying some folded boxes under her arm. I asked her what they were for, and she told me that she was moving out of her place, and also ending her marriage. This triggered a long, cathartic and very personal conversation about relationships and our shared experiences. It set the foundation of our friendship, and also the inspiration for the photograph Sarah, David. This piece is part of the body of work entitled Archipelago (2004–in progress), in which I explore relationships and their boundaries. My work focuses on what happens between the represented figures, and it understands the physical spaces where such interactions take place as a psychological extension of the characters.

Carolyn Carr, deputy director of the National Portrait Gallery, recently discussed Sarah, David and the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, at a Face-to-Face portrait talk.

Listen to Carolyn Carr’s Face-to-Face talk on Sarah, David by Yolanda del Amo  (23:10)

One exhibiting artist will win the People’s Choice Award, in which visitors to the exhibition, both online and in the gallery, may vote for their favorite of the forty-nine finalists. You can cast your vote here.  Voting will close on January 18, 2010.

Sarah, David by Yolanda del Amo / Brooklyn, New York / C-print, 2007 / 101.6 x 127 cm (40 x 50 in.)

"Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!" 

Clement Clarke Moore / Mathew Brady Studio / Glass plate collodion negative, undated / Frederick Hill Meserve Collection / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Thomas Hoving: The Man Who Made the Mummies Dance

If ever a personality reigned over a time and place, it was Thomas Hoving’s during his decade as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  From 1967 to 1977, Hoving enjoyed a more dynamic and varied career than scores of museum directors, curators, and scholars enjoy over a lifetime. 

Hoving's escapades are recorded in his 1993 memoir Making the Mummies Dance in which he describes the Met as, “the most diverse and dazzling art museum in the world.” And while other museum professionals may argue with this boast, it cannot be argued that Thomas Hoving is one of the few museum directors ever to reach the “rock star” level of celebrity. He was truly a showman’s showman.

Had Hoving never participated in the invention of the blockbuster exhibition, had he never overseen one of the mightiest acquisition periods in the history of one of the world’s great museums, and had he never used his colossal energy to excite the art world, he could easily have been a novelist; Hoving was a born raconteur. While discussing the gargantuan art collection of Arthur Sackler (the benefactor whose name graces one of the Smithsonian art museums), he tells the following uncorroborated tale: 

I had heard lots of stories about how Arthur Sackler made his money, but I could never get him to verify the tales.  One story had it that when he and his two brothers—also medical doctors, both, like Arthur, married to doctors—were about to graduate Columbia’s Physicians and Surgeons College, they held a conference about what they wanted to do next.  Private practice didn’t much appeal, and one of the Sackler brothers suggested they invent something or make something better.  They pounced upon Argyrol, a disinfectant created by the art collector Alfred Barnes, which was in general use in the twenties and thirties.  They succeeded in removing the toxic properties in the solution and patented it as Betadyne, which became the surgical scrub used in virtually every modern operating room worldwide.  The Sacklers made millions.

This incidental tale is typical of how Hoving’s writing is much like unpacking a set of Russian petrushka dolls; there is always a story within a story.

After leaving the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1977, Hoving spent much time writing, lecturing, and consulting.  He was also an accomplished sailor and pilot.  Thomas Hoving, one of the museum world’s great entrepreneurs, died on December 10 at the age of 78.

--Warren Perry, National Portrait Gallery

Thomas Hoving / Burton Philip Silverman / Charcoal on paper, 1967 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; purchased with funds provided by the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc.

Now on View: Bill Clinton by Chuck Close

 A key to Bill Clinton’s successes as president, along with his resilience and personal affability, was his determination to govern through consensus. Major accomplishments, such as welfare reform, the first budget surplus since the late 1960s, and successful U.S. intervention in the Balkans stemmed from this pragmatic viewpoint. Other proposals, such as universal health care, failed. His administration was plagued by several scandals, such as Whitewater and the consequences of his affair with a White House intern. His denial under oath about this relationship led to his impeachment. He was not convicted in the Senate trial, however, and his popularity actually increased as Americans continued to admire Clinton for his political talents, quick intelligence, and determination.

Chuck Close begins all his paintings by taking a photograph of the subject, in this case a 2005 image made as a cover for New York Magazine. He then creates grids on both the canvas and the original image to replicate the information contained in the photograph with a series of abstract modules. The portrait is on loan to the National Portrait Gallery from Ian and Annette Cumming, and is now on view in the “America’s Presidents” exhibition on the second floor.

Sorry, We Don’t Give Appraisals

The Catalog of American Portraits, as well as the rest of the departments of the National Portrait Gallery, frequently receives public inquiries concerning objects (portraits in one form or another—paintings, sculpture, prints, photos) purchased at auctions, estate sales, or flea markets. Typically, the line of questioning goes:

Who is it—that is, who is the sitter featured in the work?

Who painted/sculpted/engraved/created the image?

How much is it worth?

And typically, the answer from one of the NPG departments runs like this:

This work was created around (rough estimate of the date). The costuming and style of hair (or wig) are similar to (brief discussion of the costume/hair of the period). We are not allowed to appraise works, as we are a division of the federal government.

The subject of appraisals arises often, as most people are very interested in knowing the value of works they purchase, and of course, everyone hopes to have the next great discovery ready to take onto the set of Antiques Road Show. However, Smithsonian Directive 103, Section 7, Subsection K, is quite clear with respect to what is and what is not allowed concerning the appraisal of works:

Employees may not make estimates of monetary value (i.e., “appraisals”) of objects, materials, or specimens of the types collected by Smithsonian museums. Appraisals may be made solely for internal Smithsonian use, such as insurance valuations for loans.

However, other resources for the collector or inheritor exist, and the most common resource we suggest is the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). The ASA provides appraisers for not only works of art, but also real estate and many other forms of property.

Joshua A. Norton: His Imperial Majesty

After going bankrupt in 1858 owing to a failed attempt to control a commodities market in San Francisco, Joshua A. Norton proclaimed himself “His Imperial Majesty Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.”

Despite having lost his mental equilibrium, Norton enjoyed a twenty-two-year “reign,” during which he used his celebrity status to trumpet San Francisco’s virtues and to recommend improvements. Local newspapers published his “decrees,” which included a proposal—far-fetched in its day—to build a suspension bridge between Oakland and San Francisco, thus connecting the East Bay to the city.

As this photograph shows, Norton often wore a navy commodore’s costume and a silk hat with feathers. Period publications described Norton as “the gentlest, most inoffensive, and most agreeable monomaniac that ever lived.” It was reported that thirty thousand people attended his funeral, a testament to his extraordinary popularity.

Mayo Foo, researcher at the National Portrait Gallery, recently discussed Joshua A. Norton at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. This circa 1870 portrait by Henry Bradley and William Rulofson is on view at the Portrait Gallery, in the exhibition “Faces of the Frontier: Photographic Portraits from the American West, 1845–1924,” on the museum’s second floor.

Listen to Maya Foo's Face-to-Face talk on Joshua A. Norton (7:04)

The Face-to-Face series take a break during the month of December and resumes in January. Be sure to check our events calendar for upcoming events and talks.

 

The NPG's Maya Foo at the entrance to "Faces of the Frontier: Photographic Portraits of the American West."

Joshua A. Norton / Henry Bradley and William Rulofson / Albumen silver print, c. 1870 / The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

Bring on the Year of Elvis!

The National Portrait Gallery begins a year of salute to Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, with the opening of “Echoes of Elvis” on January 8, 2010, what would have been Elvis’s seventy-fifth birthday.

“Echoes of Elvis” will feature portraits of the entertainer created since his death in 1977. Among the works in the exhibition are pieces by Robert Arneson, Red Grooms (shown at right), and Ralph Wolfe Cowan from the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the United States Postal Service collection, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Several public programs will accompany the exhibition, beginning on January 23, when longtime Elvis friend and Memphis disc jockey George Klein will be signing his Elvis memoir, My Best Man. On the same day, NPG will host an Elvis costume contest. On March 26, the latest installment in the Edgar P. Richardson Symposium series will feature several scholars discussing Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture.

On Saturday, October 30, 2010, the National Portrait Gallery will open the doors to “Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer.” This exhibition will feature more than forty monumental images of Elvis from 1956. NPG historian Amy Henderson writes that during 1956, “Elvis’s electrifying intrusion was as shocking as Sputnik would be a year later.”  Wertheimer’s photographs are the visual testimonial to Elvis’s launch; many of the images show Elvis in the last moments he would ever have as an individual unburdened by the trappings of fame. After 1956, Elvis belonged to the world.

The young fans who worshipped him in legions would serve as the nucleus of his fan base throughout his career. For the next twenty-one years, Elvis would continually serve notice in the entertainment world: his standard was the one to follow. Although the statement is often quoted, John Lennon’s comment that “before Elvis there was nothing” is perhaps the greatest statement of tribute by the most famous of all Elvis supplicants.

“When Elvis arrived, the youth of America took over,” states “Echoes of Elvis” curator Warren Perry. “Prior to the advent of rock and roll, young people were powerless in American society; rock and roll gave American youth a voice and an attitude. Elvis was the advance guard for the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and The Who. Later, after his time in the military, and as his fan base aged, Elvis became more accepted throughout America and the world. Still later, after more than a decade in the movies, Elvis reinvented himself. Elvis and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, took Elvis’s showmanship to the next level, and they rewrote the script for the Las Vegas experience.”

“Echoes of Elvis” will run until from January 8 to August 29, 2010;  “Elvis at 21” will run from October 30 to January 23, 2011.

--Warren Perry, National Portrait Gallery

Elvis Aron Presley / Red Grooms / Lithograph on paper, 1987 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Domingo Ghirardelli: Chocolate in the Golden State

A confectioner from Italy, Domingo Ghirardelli established himself as a chocolate merchant in Lima, Peru, before immigrating to California in 1849. Unsuccessful as a miner, Ghirardelli returned to the confectioner’s trade shortly thereafter, opening his first shop in Stockton, California.

Ghirardelli’s business selling chocolate, coffee, and dried fruit was profitable, leading him to open a second store in San Francisco. Although a fire destroyed this establishment in 1851, he rebuilt. Ghirardelli was one of only two chocolate manufacturers in the United States before the Civil War, and his product dominated the western market. By the 1880s he was importing more than 450,000 pounds of cocoa beans a year.

The photographer of this carte-de-visite portrait was George H. Johnson, who—like Ghirardelli—relocated to California during the gold rush. He also failed as a prospector, but earned a reputation for opening one of the first photography studios in San Francisco.

Ann Shumard, curator of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, recently discussed Domingo Ghirardelli at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. This 1860 portrait by George H. Johnson is on view at the Portrait Gallery, in the exhibition “Faces of the Frontier: Photographic Portraits from the American West, 1845–1924,” on the museum’s second floor.

Listen to Ann Shumard's Face-to-Face talk on Domingo Ghirardelli (18:44)

The Face-to-Face series take a break during the month of December and resumes in January. Be sure to check our events calendar for upcoming events and talks.

Domingo Ghirardelli / George H. Johnson / Albumen silver print, 1860 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; gift of Sidney S. Lawrence III, in memory of Polly Ghirardelli Lawrence