Marian Anderson

Object Details

Artist

Betsy Graves Reyneau, 1888 - 1964

Sitter

Marian Anderson, 27 Feb 1897 - 8 Apr 1993

Exhibition Label

Born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Arturo Toscanini said that Marian Anderson had a voice that came along “once in a hundred years.” When one of Anderson’s teachers first heard her sing, the magnitude of her talent moved him to tears. Because she was black, however, her initial prospects as a concert singer in this country were sharply limited, and her early professional triumphs mostly took place in Europe. The magnitude of her musical gifts ultimately won her recognition in the United States as well. Despite that acclaim the Daughters of the American Revolution banned her from performing at its Constitution Hall in 1939. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt ultimately intervened and facilitated Anderson’s Easter Sunday outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial—an event witnessed by 75,000 and broadcast to a radio audience of millions. The affair generated great sympathy for Anderson and became a defining moment in America’s civil rights movement.

Nacida en Filadelfia, Pensilvania

Según el famoso director Arturo Toscanini, Marian Anderson tenía una voz que se daba “una vez cada cien años”. En efecto, cuando uno de sus maestros la oyó cantar por primera vez, su talento lo conmovió hasta las lágrimas. Sin embargo, por ser afroamericana, sus perspectivas como cantante de concierto en este país fueron en un principio sumamente limitadas y sus primeros triunfos profesionales tuvieron lugar sobre todo en Europa. La magnitud de sus dotes musicales finalmente le ganó la fama también en Estados Unidos. A pesar de ese reconocimiento, la organización Hijas de la Revolución Americana le impidió presentarse en el Constitution Hall en 1939. La primera dama Eleanor Roosevelt acabó por intervenir y gestionó un concierto de Anderson el Domingo de Pascua frente al Monumento a Lincoln, evento presenciado por 75,000 personas y transmitido por radio a millones de oyentes. El incidente generó gran simpatía por Anderson y fue un momento decisivo en el movimiento por los derechos civiles.

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

1955

Object number

NPG.67.76

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Peter Edward Fayard

Type

Painting

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

Stretcher: 153 x 97.5 x 2.5cm (60 1/4 x 38 3/8 x 1")

Frame: 163.2 x 107.2 x 5.4cm (64 1/4 x 42 3/16 x 2 1/8")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Exhibition

The Struggle for Justice Refresh

On View

NPG, West Gallery 220

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Dress Accessory\Glove

Exterior\Architecture

Architecture\Column

Baggage & Luggage\Bag\Purse

Costume\Outerwear\Coat\Fur

Marian Anderson: Female

Marian Anderson: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Opera

Marian Anderson: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher\Music

Marian Anderson: Presidential Medal of Freedom

Marian Anderson: Congressional Gold Medal

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.67.76

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm49d0cd1cb-f23f-4624-a7ea-caec1ddd67ef