Katherine Anne Porter

Object Details

Artist

Bernard Perlin, 21 Nov 1918 - 14 Jan 2014

Sitter

Katherine Anne Porter, 15 May 1890 - 18 Sep 1980

Exhibition Label

Born Indian Creek, Texas

Born Callie Russell Porter in rural Texas, Katherine Anne Porter later adopted her grandmother’s name as a way to honor the woman who raised her. Having worked as a newspaper reporter, Porter cemented her literary reputation in 1930 with the short story collection Flowering Judas. The title story is set in post-revolutionary Mexico, where the author spent extended periods of time.

Porter’s short fiction drew praise from her fellow literati: The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (1965) earned her both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Her most popular success, though, was her best-selling novel Ship of Fools (1962). Inspired by a sea voyage that she had taken from Mexico to Germany in 1931, the story focuses on a group of international travelers who are aboard a ship on the eve of Hitler’s rise to power. In 1965, the book was made into a major motion picture starring Vivien Leigh.

Nacida en Indian Creek, Texas

Nacida con el nombre de Callie Russell Porter en un campo de Texas, Katherine Anne Porter adoptó

luego el nombre de su abuela, quien la había criado. Trabajó como reportera y en 1930 afianzó su reputación literaria con la colección de cuentos Judas en flor. El cuento homónimo se desarrolla en el México posrevolucionario, donde la autora pasó largas temporadas.

Sus escritos breves de ficción le ganaron el elogio de sus colegas literatos: Cuentos completos de Katherine Anne Porter (1965) obtuvo el Premio Pulitzer y el Premio Nacional del Libro. Pero su obra más popular fue la novela La nave de los locos (1962), un gran éxito de ventas. Inspirada en un viaje por mar de México a Alemania que hizo Porter en 1931, la trama se centra en un grupo de viajeros internacionales a bordo de un barco en vísperas del ascenso al poder de Hitler. En 1965, la conocida película basada en el libro fue protagonizada por Vivien Leigh.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

1946

Object number

NPG.94.93

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Estate of Bernard Perlin

Type

Drawing

Medium

Silver point on paper

Dimensions

Image: 27.3cm x 17.8cm (10 3/4" x 7")

Sheet: 36.4cm x 28.9cm (14 5/16" x 11 3/8")

Place

United States\New York\Kings\New York

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Katherine Anne Porter: Visual Arts\Artist

Katherine Anne Porter: Female

Katherine Anne Porter: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer

Katherine Anne Porter: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher

Katherine Anne Porter: Literature\Writer\Novelist

Katherine Anne Porter: Pulitzer Prize

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.94.93

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4c201a63a-f553-4786-95fc-ce2db8039593