Object Details
- Artist
- Boris Chaliapin, 22 Sep 1904 - 18 May 1979
- Sitter
- Althea Gibson, 25 Aug 1927 - 28 Sep 2003
- Exhibition Label
- Born Silver, South Carolina
- In 1955, Althea Gibson contemplated retiring from competitive tennis. Had she done so, she would have denied herself her greatest moment. Two years later, this “lanky jumping jack of a girl,” who had begun her sports career playing paddle tennis in New York’s Harlem, was arriving home from England, the winner of the women’s singles and doubles titles at the prestigious Wimbledon championships. Within another two months, she had won the U.S. women’s singles crown at Forest Hills, New York, and emerged triumphant as America’s clay court champion as well. “Althea Gibson,” reported Time magazine in its cover story for August 26, 1957, “is not the most graceful figure on the courts, and her game is not stylish.” Nevertheless, it was clear that at thirty—an age when most tennis players lose their competitive edge—she was only then hitting her stride.
- 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
- 1957
- Object number
- NPG.78.TC406
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Chris Murphy
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Watercolor and graphite pencil on paperboard
- Dimensions
- Sight: 62.3 x 46.3 cm (24 1/2 x 18 1/4")
- Mat: 71.1 x 55.9 cm (28 x 22")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Personal Attribute\Teeth
- Equipment\Sports Equipment\Tennis racket
- Equipment\Sports Equipment\Ball
- Althea Gibson: Female
- Althea Gibson: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Singer
- Althea Gibson: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Biographer
- Althea Gibson: Sports\Athlete\Golfer
- Althea Gibson: Politics and Government\Civil servant
- Althea Gibson: Sports\Athlete\Tennis
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.78.TC406
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm495a7511e-6ec0-41cf-b919-527bd670232e
