Object Details
- Artist
- Nelson Shanks, 23 Dec 1937 - 28 Aug 2015
- Sitter
- Sonia Maria Sotomayor, born 25 Jun 1954
- Elena Kagan, born 28 Apr 1960
- Sandra Day O'Connor, 26 Mar 1930 - 1 Dec 2023
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 15 Mar 1933 - 18 Sep 2020
- Exhibition Label
- Counterclockwise from bottom left: Sandra Day O’Connor born 1930; Ruth Bader Ginsburg 1933-2020; Elena Kagan born 1960; and Sonia Sotomayor born 1954
- In 1880, Belva Lockwood became the first woman to argue before the Supreme Court. Distinguished jurist Florence Allen was considered for the Supreme Court in the 1940s, but opposition, including from the sitting justices, precluded her nomination. It was not until 1981 that Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice. Over ten years later, in 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nominated by President Clinton. Until 2020, Ginsburg served alongside Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, who were nominated to the Supreme Court in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
- The Cummings commissioned this portrait to recognize the accomplishments of all four justices. Justice O’Connor’s office arranged their busy schedules so that they could pose at the same time for Nelson Shanks and his camera. The artist drew on the traditions of Dutch group portraiture, and the setting is based on interiors and a courtyard within the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.
- En contra del reloj, desde la izquierda inferior: Sandra Day O’Connor, n. 1930; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, n. 1933; Elena Kagan, n. 1960; Sonia Sotomayor, n. 1954
- En 1880, Belva Lockwood se convirtió en la primera mujer que litigó un caso ante el Tribunal Supremo. En la década de 1940, la distinguida jurista Florence Allen fue considerada para integrar dicho tribunal, pero la oposición, incluso de los propios jueces, impidió su nominación. No fue hasta 1981 que Sandra Day O’Connor pasó a ser la primera mujer en el Tribunal Supremo. Más de diez años después, en 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg fue nominada por el presidente Clinton. Hoy, Ginsburg labora en el Tribunal Supremo junto a Sonia Sotomayor y Elena Kagan, nominadas en 2009 y 2010, respectivamente.
- Los Cumming encargaron este retrato en homenaje a los logros de estas cuatro juezas. La oficina de la jueza O’Connor coordinó sus ocupadas agendas para que pudieran posar juntas para Nelson Shanks y su cámara. El artista se inspiró en la tradición de los retratos de grupo holandeses. La ambientación se basa en el interior y un patio del edificio del Tribunal Supremo en Washington D.C.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Annette P. Cumming
- 2012
- Object number
- NPG.2020.130
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Estate of Nelson Shanks
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Frame-approximately: 294.6 × 242.6 cm (116 × 95 1/2")
- Stretcher-from artist: 216.1 × 169.2 cm (85 1/16 × 66 5/8")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- The Four Justices
- On View
- NPG, South Gallery 230
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Interior
- Printed Material\Book
- Home Furnishings\Mirror
- Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Sofa
- Home Furnishings\Curtain
- Home Furnishings\Pillow
- Sandra Day O'Connor: Female
- Sandra Day O'Connor: Law and Crime\Lawyer
- Sandra Day O'Connor: Law and Crime\Judge\Justice\US Supreme Court Justice
- Sandra Day O'Connor: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Administrator\University administrator\Chancellor
- Sandra Day O'Connor: Politics and Government\Government official\State Senator\Arizona
- Sandra Day O'Connor: Civilian awards\Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Female
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Law and Crime\Judge
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Law and Crime\Judge\Justice\US Supreme Court Justice
- Sonia Maria Sotomayor: Female
- Sonia Maria Sotomayor: Law and Crime\Lawyer
- Sonia Maria Sotomayor: Law and Crime\Judge\Justice\US Supreme Court Justice
- Elena Kagan: Female
- Elena Kagan: Law and Crime\Lawyer
- Elena Kagan: Law and Crime\Judge\Justice\US Supreme Court Justice
- Elena Kagan: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor\Law
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2020.130
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4cb25e2e6-bbb9-47f3-bcd7-487ebae8521e
