"Martha Washington" by unidentified artist. Copy after Gilbert Stuart. Oil on canvas, early-mid 19th Century. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
First ladies of the United States are not elected by the public, yet they hold one of the most prominent social positions in the world. In Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States, our National Portrait Gallery presents the largest exhibition of first lady portraits outside of the White House. You can virtually explore this exhibition, with art and objects spanning nearly 250 years, on the National Portrait Gallery's website.
We spoke with Briana Zavadil White, head of Education at the National Portrait Gallery, about what we can discover in this exhibition. She shared how she works to engage students, teachers, teens, families, and adults with these portraits.
What makes Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States a notable exhibition for the National Portrait Gallery?
This is the first major exhibition to explore the historical significance of this important position through portraiture. The exhibition includes more than 60 portraits, from Martha Washington to Melania Trump. It includes related ephemera and select iconic dresses.
Visitors often ask why we don't have an exhibition of the First Ladies, given we do have a permanent gallery dedicated to the Presidents. I'm delighted we are now able to honor our audience's interests in First Ladies with this exhibition.
Do all the First Ladies have official portraits?
The Portrait Gallery began commissioning portraits of the First Lady in 2006 with Hillary Clinton. The process begins as the outgoing President is leaving office. The White House collection, which has acquired portraits of historic and current First Ladies since 1965, is separate from the National Portrait Gallery's collection.
Briana Zavadil White, head of Education at the National Portrait Gallery, speaks about First Lady Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald in summer 2018. Photo by Mark Gulezian.
What do students typically notice first about portraits of First Ladies?
Portraits of Martha Washington and Dolley Madison had always been on view in our America's Presidents gallery. For Washington, students always noticed her gaze was directed toward George Washington's portrait. (So sweet.) For Madison, she wears a turban on her head. Students comment that it's a curious fashion choice!
"Dolley Madison" by William S. Elwell. Oil on canvas, 1848. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
When many of us look at portraits of First Ladies, we notice fashion. What other elements of portraiture should we also notice, and how to you challenge learners to look beyond their first impression?
We teach our audiences, whether students or families, to look at portraiture using the elements of portrayal. These elements are clothing, hairstyle, pose, expression, setting, objects, medium, color, artistic style, and scale. Observing these elements in a portrait allows for analysis and interpretation of the image. It also allows us to consider the big "so what" about the image and its place in history. The Reading Portraiture Guide highlights how we look and why we look closely.
Which portrait in the exhibition have you explored most with learners?
I've worked with the portrait of Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald the most. Obama's portrait is relevant and accessible to young people because she is a subject they know and many look up to. It is also an artwork that we can use as a springboard to discuss more critical conversations about the history of the representation of African Americans in portraiture.
"First Lady Michelle Obama" by Amy Sherald. Oil on linen, 2018. © National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg; Judith Kern and Kent Whealy; Tommie L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia; Clarence, DeLoise, and Brenda Gaines; Jonathan and Nancy Lee Kemper; The Stoneridge Fund of Amy and Marc Meadows; Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker; Catherine and Michael Podell; Mark and Cindy Aron; Lyndon J. Barrois and Janine Sherman Barrois; The Honorable John and Louise Bryson; Paul and Rose Carter; Bob and Jane Clark; Lisa R. Davis; Shirley Ross Davis and Family; Alan and Lois Fern; Conrad and Constance Hipkins; Sharon and John Hoffman; Audrey M. Irmas; John Legend and Chrissy Teigen; Eileen Harris Norton; Helen Hilton Raiser; Philip and Elizabeth Ryan; Roselyne Chroman Swig; Josef Vascovitz and Lisa Goodman; Eileen Baird; Dennis and Joyce Black Family Charitable Foundation; Shelley Brazier; Aryn Drake-Lee; Andy and Teri Goodman; Randi Charno Levine and Jeffrey E. Levine; Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation; Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago; Arthur Lewis and Hau Nguyen; Sara and John Schram; Alyssa Taubman and Robert Rothman.
I also love the Nancy Reagan portrait by Aaron Shikler. It is such simple portrait at first glance, with her iconic red clothing. However, it is actually a really great teaching tool when you learn the image was on the cover of Time magazine. It becomes a wonderful opportunity to connect the article in Time, "Nancy Regan's Growing Role," to the image.
"Nancy Reagan" by Aaron Shikler. Oil on paper, 1984-1985. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine. © Estate of Aaron Shikler, courtesy of Davis & Langdale Company, Inc.
Of the objects included in Every Eye Is Upon Me, which do you find sparks interesting conversation with learners?
Mary Lincoln's capelet, which was crafted by Elizabeth Keckley, is on loan from the National First Ladies' Library. Nearly all the clothing Mary Lincoln wore after becoming first lady was sewn by Keckley. Keckely was the daughter of an enslaved woman and her white owner. An accomplished seamstress, she used her sewing skills to buy her freedom. After moving to Washington, D.C., in 1860, Keckley became the preferred dressmaker to many important women in the capital. We love being able to make historical and biographical connections between portraits and related objects.
Mary Lincoln's Cape sewn by Elizabeth Keckley. Lace netting and taffeta, sewn around 1861. National First Ladies’ Library.
To learn more about Every Eye Is Upon Me, Briana recommends you virtually view the exhibition. You can explore the educational resources that helped shape the exhibition.
Every Eye is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States at the National Portrait Gallery is supported, in part, by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative. Donate to the initiative to help us present diverse, untold American stories.