Object Details
- Artist
- Betsy Graves Reyneau, 6 Jun 1888 - 18 Oct 1964
- Sitter
- Paul Robeson, 9 Apr 1898 - 23 Jan 1976
- Exhibition Label
- Born Princeton, New Jersey
- Paul Robeson’s appearance in the title role in The Emperor Jones catapulted him to stardom in 1925, and his popularity soared with a 1930 Othello that ran for nearly three hundred performances. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Joe in both the stage and movie versions of Show Boat, singing “Ol’ Man River.” He stopped making films in 1942, explaining, “The industry is not prepared to permit me to portray the life or express the living interests, hopes, and aspirations of the struggling people from whom I come.” Robeson’s left-wing sentiments became a focal point of anti-Communism in the postwar era, and his passport was revoked in 1950. His American career largely came to an end. With the return of his passport in 1958 after a court battle, he attempted to revitalize his career, but illness and exhaustion led to a life of seclusion during his latter years.
- Provenance
- Harmon Foundation; gift 1967 to NPG.
- Collection Description
- The Harmon Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City (active 1922–1967), included this portrait in their exhibition Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin, which opened at the Smithsonian in 1944 and documented noteworthy African Americans’ contributions to the country. Modeling their goal of social equality, the Harmon sought portraits from African American artist Laura Wheeler Waring and Euro-American artist Betsy Graves Reyneau. The two painters followed the conventional codes of academic portraiture, seeking to convey their sitters’ extraordinary accomplishments. This painting, along with a variety of educational materials, toured nation-wide for ten years, serving as a visual rebuttal to racism.
- La Harmon Foundation, entidad filantrópica con sede en la ciudad de Nueva York (activa entre 1922 y 1967), incluyó este retrato en Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin (Retratos de estadounidenses destacados de origen negro), una exposición inaugurada en la Smithsonian en 1944 que documentó las aportaciones de afroamericanos notables al país. A tono con sus ideales de igualdad social, la fundación encargó retratos a la artista afroamericana Laura Wheeler Waring y a la euroamericana Betsy Graves Reyneau. Ambas adoptaron los códigos convencionales del retrato académico para comunicar en sus obras los logros extraordinarios de sus modelos. Esta pintura, junto con diversos materiales educativos, viajó por la nación durante diez años planteando una impugnación visual del racismo.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1944
- Object number
- NPG.67.86
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Peter Edward Fayard
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 127.6 x 97.2 x 3.8cm (50 1/4 x 38 1/4 x 1 1/2")
- Frame: 142.2 x 111.8 x 10.2cm (56 x 44 x 4")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- NPG Mezzanine: 20th and 21st Century Americans
- On View
- NPG, South Gallery 321 Mezzanine
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Weapon\Sword
- Interior\Performing Arts\Theatrical\Stage
- Paul Robeson: Male
- Paul Robeson: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Theater\Stage actor
- Paul Robeson: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Singer
- Paul Robeson: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Social reformer\Civil rights activist
- Paul Robeson: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.67.86
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4680e8046-93fd-4568-8be0-bb8c6f0a0f7f
