Many of you may have stopped by the Portrait Gallery to catch a glimpse of Stephen Colbert’s aptly positioned portrait, but did you have the time to take in the rest of the museum as well? Recently, DCist was given an insider’s tour of the National Portrait Gallery by Assistant Director of Exhibitions and Collections Management Claire Kelly.

Unlike many other art museums which focus primarily on preserving and documenting art history, the work displayed in the Portrait Gallery focuses on American history and its people. While much of what is displayed is painted and sculpted portraiture, the museum also contains many historical artifacts which accompany the portraits to tell a fuller story. For example, next to a portrait of Isaac Singer is one of his sewing machine patent models, and likewise, next to the Thomas Edison portrait sits one of his inventions — the tin-foil phonograph — both on extended loan from the National Museum of American History. These artifacts, along with the accompanying artwork and exhibit text, provide a rich educational experience for those interested in our country’s history.

With the looming Presidential elections, it is particularly timely to visit the permanent America’s Presidents exhibition, which features portraits of all forty-two of our past presidents. (President George W. Bush’s portrait will be on display once he leaves office.) The exhibit also displays various related items, including castes of Lincoln’s face and hand before and after the Civil War, with the post-War castes showing a great increase in wrinkles, illustrating the stress Lincoln must have endured throughout those years. An area of the America’s Presidents exhibition as well as the nearby The Presidency and the Cold War feature both illustrated and sculpted caricatures of many of the presidents, with one showing George H. W. Bush as a skinny, elongated horseshoe player, appearing much like a Giacometti sculpture.

Multimedia is featured throughout the museum, and in America’s Presidents, visitors can hear and watch excerpts of Presidential speeches dating back to Roosevelt. Additionally, eight of FDR’s Fireside Chats from 1933 to 1942 are featured, with topics ranging from “The War in Europe” to “Inflation and Flood Prices.” Elsewhere, video highlights include an Andy Warhol film amidst portraits of twentieth century celebrities and video clips of famed athletes narrated by Michael Wilbon of ESPN and The Washington Post.

In addition to the rooms and rooms of portraiture, video and historical artifacts, the Portrait Gallery is stocked full of outstanding educational elements that are less-expected. Near the entrance of the current Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763-1848 exhibit sits “Portrait Connection,” a research area with four computers equipped with the museum’s collection search software. The software features more than 10,000 records, many of which are not found on the museum’s main web site because of copyright issues.

Knowledge-seekers will also find a wealth of resources in both the Luce Foundation Center and the Lunder Conservation Center, found in the upstairs of the building that holds both the Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. At the Lunder, one can watch art conservationists at work, learn about their tools and techniques on nearby kiosks, and see video interviews with conservation specialists nationwide. At the Luce, visitors can view and research approximately 3500 works from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s permanent collection. The Center is filled with rows of stacked artwork behind glass, each of which is assigned an ID number. Several information-filled kiosks are located throughout the Center, where one can find details about each piece on display. While visitors are welcome to attend the centers at any time the museum is open, group tours of four or more to the Luce Foundation Center can be scheduled by emailing SAAMLuce [at] si.edu or calling (202) 633-5436.

Photo by jat1974.

The National Portrait Gallery is located at 8th and F Streets, NW, and is open from 11:30 a.m.to 7 p.m. daily.