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Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Herman Perlman, 29 Mar 1904 - 9 Sep 1995
Sitter
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 30 Jan 1882 - 12 Apr 1945
Date
1935
Type
Drawing
Medium
Tempera and gouache on board
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 50.7 × 38 cm (19 15/16 × 14 15/16")
Mount: 63.4 × 50.8 cm (24 15/16 × 20")
Topic
Printed Material\Book
Interior\Office
Architecture\Window
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Pince-nez
Equipment\Smoking Implements\Cigarette
Caricature
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Desk
Home Furnishings\Curtain
Equipment\Smoking Implements\Cigarette holder
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
Symbols & Motifs\Emblem\Donkey
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Male
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\Governor\New York
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\President of US
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\State Senator\New York
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\Vice-Presidential Candidate
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Object number
NPG.86.25
Exhibition Label
Born Hyde Park, New York
Artist Herman Perlman was born in Poland and lived in Russia until 1914, when his family immigrated to Columbus, Ohio. In 1924, he moved to Washington, D.C., and studied art at the Maryland Institute College of Art in nearby Baltimore. When he created this likeness, Perlman had already been drawing portraits, particularly caricatures, for nearly ten years. Here, he depicts the president as a debonair yet slightly self-satisfied figure, emphasizing his patrician background. Perlman often made caricatures for the Washington Post. When the paper periodically laid him off during the Depression, he took side jobs for theaters and other organizations. Perlman drew caricatures of many public figures, including Andrew Mellon, Will Rogers, Herbert Hoover, and Dean Acheson. His subjects were rarely offended by his clever likenesses. In fact, many autographed the original drawings, just as Roosevelt signed this portrait.
Nacido en Hyde Park, Nueva York
El artista Herman Perlman nació en Polonia y vivió en Rusia hasta 1914, cuando su familia inmigró a Columbus, Ohio. En 1924, se mudó a Washington D.C. y estudió arte en el Maryland Institute College of Art, cerca de Baltimore. Cuando creó este retrato, Perlman ya llevaba dibujando retratos, especialmente caricaturas, por casi diez años. Aquí representa al presidente como una figura caballeresca pero también algo presumida, poniendo de relieve sus orígenes aristocráticos. Perlman solía dibujar caricaturas para el Washington Post. Cuando el periódico finalmente lo despidió durante la época de la Depresión, aceptó trabajos complementarios para teatros y otras orga- nizaciones. Perlman dibujó caricaturas de muchas figuras públicas, incluidos Andrew Mellon, Will Rogers, Herbert Hoover y Dean Acheson. Sus sujetos rara vez se ofendían por sus ingeniosos retratos. De hecho, muchos autografiaban los dibujos originales, de la misma manera en que Roosevelt firmó este retrato.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view