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Beginning with painterGilbert Stuart's portrait ofGeorge Washington, it has been tradition for thepresident of the United States to have anofficial portrait taken during their time in office, most commonly anoil painting. This tradition has continued to modern times, although since the adoption ofphotography as a widely used and reliable technology, the official portrait may also be a photograph (or at least a photograph may be viable[1]).
Presidents will often display the official portraits of former presidents whom they admire in theOval Office or elsewhere around theWhite House, loaned from theNational Portrait Gallery. The gallery has collected presidential portraits since its creation in 1962, and began commissioning their portraits in 1994, starting withGeorge H. W. Bush.[2]
In 2018, PresidentDonald Trump signed Public Law 115–158, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for an official portrait of any federal official or officer, including the president, the vice president, a member of Congress, the head of an executive agency, or the head of an office of the legislative branch. As most recent presidential portraits have been privately funded, this law primarily prevents other governmental officers such as agency heads andspeakers of the House from commissioning official portraits using federal funds.[3][4]
The presidential portrait ofGeorge Washington was famously rescued byFirst LadyDolley Madison when the British burned down the White House in theWar of 1812.[5]
Historians believe that Jackson sat for about 35 portraits, and that there are a total of about 200 paintings of Jackson done in oils or watercolor, many created posthumously and/or copied from existing images. Jackson was painted most often by his nephew-by-marriageRalph E. W. Earl.[6]
PresidentTheodore Roosevelt's official portrait was originally commissioned toThéobald Chartran in 1902, but when Roosevelt saw the final product he hated it and hid it in the darkest corner of the White House. When family members called it the "Mewing Cat" for making him look so harmless, he had it destroyed and hiredJohn Singer Sargent to paint a more masculine portrait.[7][8]
Sargent followed Roosevelt around the rooms of the White House, making sketches looking for the right lighting and pose, but was unhappy with them. When Roosevelt headed toward a staircase to try the rooms on the second level, both of their patience was running thin. Roosevelt suggested that Sargent did not have a clue what the artist wanted. Sargent responded that Roosevelt did not know what was needed to pose for a portrait. Roosevelt, having reached the landing, planted his hand on the balustrade post and turned to Sargent, angrily demanding "Don't I?!" and the perfect pose had been found.[9]
Roosevelt, always active, only agreed to stay still for half an hour a day, after lunch. But the portrait was eventually finished and was adored by Roosevelt.[8]
TheUnited States Commission of Fine Arts recommendedF. Luis Mora to paint the portrait ofWarren G. Harding. The portrait was painted from photographs. Two portraits of Harding painted by 'foreign artists' in the White House were rejected for inferior artistic merit and insufficient likeness.[10] The painting was hung in the White House in June 1930.[11]
DuringRonald Reagan's presidency, he movedCoolidge's portrait from the Grand Hall into the Cabinet Room next toThomas Jefferson's portrait. Reagan admired and quoted Coolidge, and thought Coolidge's impressive performance in the "roaring twenties" was outstanding. Reagan believed that Coolidge's portrait was much more suitable next to afounding father.[12]
PresidentHerbert Hoover's official portrait was completed 23 years after he left office. The first official portrait was painted byJohn Christen Johansen in 1941. Hoover, however, later commissioned a second portrait that was completed in 1956 by Elmer Wesley Greene. At Hoover's request, this painting replaced the original, and currently stands as the official White House portrait.[13] The Johansen painting now resides at theHerbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum inWest Branch, Iowa.[14]
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy's official portrait was painted posthumously byAaron Shikler at the request ofJacqueline Kennedy in 1970. It is generally analyzed as a character study. Unlike most presidential portraits, Kennedy's depicts the president as pensive, with eyes downcast and arms folded. According to Shikler, Jackie's only stipulation was for him to create an image different from "the way everybody else makes him look, with the bags under his eyes and that penetrating gaze. I'm tired of that image." Shikler drew a few sketches based on photographs, one of which was inspired byTed Kennedy's somber pose at his brother's (John F. Kennedy) grave, his arms crossed and his head bowed. Jackie chose that sketch as the final pose.[15] Shikler also painted the official White House portraits of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and the Kennedy children.
There have been two official White House portraits of PresidentRonald Reagan. The first portrait of Ronald Reagan was painted byAaron Shikler in 1989 but was rejected as being an insufficient likeness and put into storage in 1991. A second portrait, painted byEverett Raymond Kinstler in 1991, was deemed more successful and presently hangs in the White House.[16]
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush and First LadyBarbara Bush were painted by the American portrait artistHerbert Abrams in 1994.Chas Fagan was later commissioned to paint the second official portrait of Barbara Bush as she did not like the first portrait completed by Abrams.[17][18]
The presidential portrait ofBill Clinton was the first of such portraits to be painted by an African American,Simmie Knox.[19][20]
Prior to that, aportrait was commissioned by theNational Portrait Gallery at theSmithsonian Institution. Years following its initial unveiling, the artist of the portrait,Nelson Shanks, revealed he added a subtle shadow on the left-hand side of the painting to reference theClinton–Lewinsky scandal and how it was, "a metaphor in that it represents a shadow on the office he held, or on him".[21] According to the Shanks, Clinton "hate[d] the portrait" and wanted it removed from the National Portrait Gallery. As of 2015, it remained in their collection but was not on display.[22]
The official White House portrait ofGeorge W. Bush was revealed on May 31, 2012.[23] It was painted byJohn Howard Sanden who also painted the official portrait for First LadyLaura Bush that was revealed at the same time as her husband's portrait. In addition, Bush's portrait for the National Portrait Gallery was uncharacteristically released several weeks before his administration had ended. Painted by Robert A. Anderson, it was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution inWashington, D.C., on December 19, 2008. President Bush jokingly opened the unveiling with "Welcome to my hanging", which resulted in laughter from the room.[24] This was an official portrait commissioned by the White House, but funded by private donorship.[25]
The caption at the National Portrait Gallery beside President Bush's portrait originally read that his administration was "marked by a series of catastrophic events..." [including] "...the attacks onSeptember 11, 2001, that led to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."VermontsenatorBernie Sanders wrote a letter to the director of the National Portrait Gallery, noting the link between the terrorist attacks and Iraq had been "debunked". DirectorMartin E. Sullivan assured him the label would be changed to delete "led to".[26]
Barack Obama was the first president to have his portrait taken with adigital camera in January 2009 byPete Souza, the then–official White House photographer,[27] using aCanon EOS 5D Mark II.[citation needed] Obama was also the first president to have3D portraits taken, which were displayed in theSmithsonian Castle in December 2014.[28]
On February 12, 2018, the official presidential likenesses of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama were unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery.[29]Kehinde Wiley painted Mr. Obama, whileAmy Sherald painted Mrs. Obama.[30][31] Different flowers in the background of Barack Obama's painting are symbolic, withchrysanthemums, for example, representingChicago, andpikake representingHawaii.[32] Thecontemporary style of both paintings attracted note for breaking the trend of past presidential portraits being painted in a traditional style.[33][34][35]
The official White House portrait ofBarack Obama was unveiled on September 7, 2022. It was painted byRobert McCurdy, who focused on working off of a photograph of the former president. In thephotorealistic portrait, Obama is dressed in a black suit with a gray tie, and painted against a minimal white backdrop, a signature of McCurdy's artworks. At the same time, the official portrait for First Lady Michelle Obama, painted byrealism artistSharon Sprung, was also unveiled.[36][37] In First Lady Obama's oil painting portrait, she appears in an off-the-shoulder turquoise gown against a warm pink wall, looking "intent but alluring and unmistakably herself."[37]
The first official presidential portrait ofDonald Trump was released on January 19, 2017, the day before hisinauguration, and was used for the official @POTUSTwitter account until May 5, 2017. His officialfirst term presidential portrait was released on October 6, 2017.[38] For Trump'ssecond term, a new portrait was taken and revealed to the public on January 17, 2025,[39] which was replaced by another official portrait released on June 2, 2025.[40] His portrait painting has been commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery using donations from Trump'sSave America PAC.[41]
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