Object Details
- Artist
- Dirck Halstead, 1936 - 2022
- Sitter
- Richard Milhous Nixon, 9 Jan 1913 - 22 Apr 1994
- Exhibition Label
- This celebratory Time cover portrait commemorates President Richard Nixon’s landslide win in the 1972 presidential election. Nixon, the incumbent, defeated George McGovern, winning 521 electoral votes to McGovern’s seventeen. Nixon’s immense popularity in the months following the June break-in may be surprising, but at that point, Watergate generally was viewed as a private extortion scheme.
- At the time of the break-in, Nixon’s main rival and the leading contender for the Democratic Party’s nomination was not McGovern but Edmund “Ed” Muskie, a senator from Maine. Describing Muskie as “Target A … for our operation,” members of the Committee to Re-Elect the President orchestrated a smear campaign against him. They forged the so-called “Canuck Letter,” in which Muskie ostensibly disparaged French Canadians.
- When Muskie defended himself in a speech given outdoors in New Hampshire during a snowstorm, he appeared to be in tears. The image of apparent weakness ruined his chances of receiving the Democratic nomination, and it instead went to George McGovern.
- Esta portada festiva de Time conmemora el triunfo aplastante del presidente Richard Nixon en las elecciones presidenciales de 1972. Nixon, presidente en funciones, venció a George McGovern, con 521 votos electorales frente a los diecisiete de McGovern. La inmensa popularidad de Nixon en los meses posteriores al robo de junio podría resultar sorprendente; sin embargo, en ese momento, Watergate aún se consideraba una conspiración de extorsión privada.
- Al momento del robo, el principal rival de Nixon y principal aspirante a la nominación del Partido Demócrata no era McGovern sino Edmund “Ed” Muskie, un senador de Maine. Los miembros del Comité por la Reelección del Presidente describieron a Muskie como “Objetivo A…de nuestra operación”, por lo que orquestaron una campaña de desprestigio contra él. Falsificaron la llamada “carta de Canuck”, en la que Muskie aparentemente menospreciaba a los francocanadienses. Cuando Muskie se defendió en un discurso pronunciado al aire libre en Nuevo Hampshire durante una tormenta de nieve, dio la impresión de estar llorando. La imagen de aparente debilidad arruinó su oportunidad de ser nominado por el Partido Demócrata, que en su lugar eligió a George McGovern.
- Collection Description
- In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
- En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine
- 1972
- Object number
- NPG.91.TC41
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Dirck Halstead
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Color photograph on paper
- Dimensions
- 34.3cm x 26.3cm (13 1/2" x 10 3/8"), Accurate
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Richard Milhous Nixon: Male
- Richard Milhous Nixon: Law and Crime\Lawyer
- Richard Milhous Nixon: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
- Richard Milhous Nixon: Politics and Government\Vice-President of US
- Richard Milhous Nixon: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Officer
- Richard Milhous Nixon: Politics and Government\Government official\President of US
- Richard Milhous Nixon: Politics and Government\Government official\US Senator\California
- Richard Milhous Nixon: Politics and Government\Government official\US Congressman\California
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.91.TC41
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm40bbc7177-67b4-4978-ba62-3293eefa2ded
