Posters To Go - National Portrait Gallery

NPG IN YOUR CLASSROOM
Volume 3, no. 2. Winter 2009
Posters to Go
Interested in a set of teaching posters for your
classroom? Continue reading to find out more!
Posters to Go is a set of fifteen posters from the
collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the
Archives of American Art, and the Smithsonian
American Art Museum. Each poster includes an
image or primary-source document and ideas for
lessons that apply these resources to classroom
instruction. The five themes represented in the
posters are: Westward Expansion; Civil War; Harlem
Renaissance; World War II; and the Sixties.
These poster sets can be used as part of classroom
lessons or as pre- and/or post-visit teaching aids for
student group visits to the museums.
After completing the lessons found on the posters,
students will be better able to:
•  Cite evidence from artworks and documents to
support interpretations;
•  Identify important Americans, artworks, and
documents and analyze their roles in U.S. history;
•  Analyze the role significant Americans and artists
have played in the American experience.
If you would like to receive a set of the full-size
laminated posters, which measure 17 x 24 inches,
please complete the application at http://www.npg.
si.edu/docs/ptgapplication.pdf. Applications will
be considered on a rolling basis every three months.
Supply is limited. We will notify you via e-mail upon
receipt of your application.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Harlem Renaissance
William H. Johnson (1901–1970)
Jitterbugs (II), ca. 1941
serigraph on newspaper
16 7/8 x 14 3/8 in. (42.8 x 36.5 cm)
Gift of Mrs. Douglas E. Younger
About the Artist
Learning to Look
William H. Johnson was born to a poor African American family in
South Carolina. He moved to New York in 1918 and trained at the
prestigious National Academy of Design, where he received numerous
awards. Johnson spent most of the 1920s and 1930s in Europe, where
he was influenced by both modern styles and folk traditions. Returning
to New York in 1938, African Americans became the primary subject
for his art. The Works Progress Administration assigned him to teach
at the Harlem Community Art Center, where he met other black artists
and intellectuals. Sadly, after 1944 Johnson’s mental health deteriorated quickly due to a syphilis infection, and he spent the last twentythree years of his life in a state hospital in New York.
s*OHNSONTYPICALLYUSEDONLYFOURORlVECOLORS!SKSTUDENTSTONAME
THECOLORSTHEYSEEHERE!FTEREACHCOLORISIDENTIlEDASKTHECLASSTO
describe what they see that is represented in that color (i.e., what do
you see that is blue?).
s!SKTHESTUDENTSTOIDENTIFYWHATTHEARTISTHASREPRESENTEDWITHALL
OFTHEINDIVIDUALPARTSTHEYJUSTIDENTIlED
s7HATADJECTIVESDOYOUTHINKDESCRIBETHISCOUPLE
s7HATMATERIALISTHISWORKPRINTEDON,OOKCLOSELYANDIDENTIFYWHAT
you can see and read. How does this affect the overall impression
that the artist creates?
s7ILLIAM(*OHNSONWASAHIGHLYTRAINEDARTISTWHOWORKEDINMANY
different styles. Why do you think he chose to portray this subject in
bright colors and blocky forms instead of a more realistic way?
s"ASEDONWHATYOUKNOWABOUTTHE(ARLEM2ENAISSANCEWHATDOES
this work reflect about the years surrounding that time in New York
City? How does it do this?
s0LAYSOMEJAZZMUSICFORTHECLASSAUDIOCLIPSAREAVAILABLEONLINEAT
http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/class/armstrong/kit/kit.asp or
http://www.folkways.si.edu/search/AlbumDetails.aspx?ID=281#)
Ask students to compare what they hear with what they see here.
Activity
William H. Johnson, Self-Portrait, ca. 1923-26, oil on
canvas, 29 3/4 x 23 3/4 in. (75.5 x 60.4 cm). Gift of
the Harmon Foundation
William H. Johnson, Self-Portrait, 1929, oil on canvas, 23 1/4 x 18 1/4 in. (59.0 x 46.3 cm). Gift of the
Harmon Foundation
About the Artwork
When William H. Johnson created this work in 1941, he was teaching
at the Harlem Community Art Center, just minutes away from the
Savoy Ballroom in New York City. Many jazz dance crazes, including
the jitterbug, were popularized at this famous dance hall. Immersed in
the vibrant African American arts and culture which had blossomed
during the Harlem Renaissance, Johnson frequently turned to the
sights and sounds around him for inspiration. In this work, he shows a
couple of dancing “jitterbugs,” like those who flooded into the Savoy to
swing to the music of jazz legends. The dance style was energetic and
athletic, with women being thrown in the air and dipped down to the
ground as couples tried to outdo each other.
Bold blocks of color interlock at sharp angles to create a sense of
energy and movement. Together with the repeated lines on the floor,
these stylistic elements recall the rhythm and vitality of jazz music.
In the background, parts of instruments float in the air without any
players present. This print was created using a technique known as
serigraphy, which was new to Johnson, in which ink or paint is applied
using stencils. It allowed him to experiment repeatedly with the same
composition, trying different color combinations, background designs,
and materials. This work is printed on newspaper, with advertisements
visible through the paint, and the resulting effect further emphasizes
the urban nature of Johnson’s subject.
"OTHOFTHElGURESINTHISWORKAREANONYMOUSANDTHEIRFACESARE
almost entirely blank. Students should work independently to research
the Harlem Renaissance and create identities for the couple. They
SHOULDCREATENAMESFORTHElGURESANDWRITEANARRATIVEDESCRIBING
where they came from and what they experienced in their daily lives.
4HISSHOULDBEASSPECIlCASTHEYCANMAKEIT%XAMPLESOFINFORMATION
to include in the narrative:
s)NFORMATIONABOUTTHEIRCHILDHOODANDWHERETHEYGREWUP
s!DESCRIPTIONOFTHENEIGHBORHOODWHERETHEYLIVE
s!DESCRIPTIONOFWHERETHEYDANCEANDWHYTHISACTIVITYISANIMPORtant part of their lives
In their research, students should look for photos of Harlem to include
as part of their story.
As an additional activity, students could create an artwork in
Johnson’s style depicting their own neighborhood, childhood, or dance
moves and then write a few sentences, similar to an interpretive label
found in a museum, explaining the work.
© 2008 Smithsonian Institution. This project has been supported by
the Smithsonian School Programming Fund.
Sample posters of the Harlem Renaissance from the National Portrait Gallery, the
Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Archives of American Art
NPG Acquires Hope Portrait of
Barack Obama
Visitors can now view
the portraits of President
George W. Bush and First
Lady Laura Bush that were
commissioned for the
National Portrait Gallery.
On December 19, 2008,
President and Mrs. Bush
unveiled their portraits
in a private ceremony
at the museum. This is
the first time that the
National Portrait Gallery
has presented the official
likenesses of a sitting
president and first lady.
On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in
as the forty-fourth president of the United States.
Obama is the first African American nominated as a
presidential candidate for a major political party in
the U.S. and is the first African American president.
Shepard Fairey’s portrait of Obama is a large-scale
handmade stenciled collage based on the image
that he created both as a limited-edition print and
as a free image meant to be posted online during
the campaign. His style grew out of alternative
artistic media, including street art and graffiti, but it
also has a subtlety and sophistication derived from
fine-arts sources as diverse as constructivism, art
nouveau, and Andy Warhol. Fairey originally printed
700 copies of his poster, but once the “Obama
for America” campaign picked up the image, that
number increased to 300,000 copies. The National
Portrait Gallery is pleased that this portrait, which is
considered the iconic image of Obama’s campaign,
has found its home in the museum.
George W. Bush by Robert
A. Anderson, oil on canvas,
2008. National Portrait Gallery,
Smithsonian Institution; gift of the
friends of President George W. Bush
“It is always a great moment for the National Portrait
Gallery to unveil the portraits of presidents and
first ladies,” said Martin E. Sullivan, director of the
museum. “I am thrilled that the museum is able to
install these two works while President Bush is in the
White House.”
The White House selected Robert Anderson to paint
the president’s portrait. Anderson was a classmate
of Bush’s at Yale University and received his training
in fine arts at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Bush’s portrait is installed in the exhibition “America’s
Presidents.”
Aleksander Titovets was selected by the White House
to paint Laura Bush’s portrait. Titovets is a native
Russian painter who trained at St. Petersburg State
University College. He now lives in El Paso, Texas.
The portrait of Laura Bush will hang on the first floor
in the north hall of the
Portrait Gallery.
Laura Bush by Aleksander Titovets,
oil on canvas, 2008. National
Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian
Institution; gift of Mr. and Mrs.
J. O. Stewart
Barack Obama by Shepard Fairey, hand-finished collage, stencil, and acrylic on paper, 2008. National
Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection in honor of
Mary K. Podesta © Shepard Fairey/ObeyGiant.com
NPG Presents President and Mrs.
Bush’s Portraits
Special Exhibitions
The “Portraiture Now” school program gives students
an opportunity to explore portraiture as a vibrant,
contemporary art form. The “Feature Photography”
exhibition highlights six fine-art photographers
whose editorial assignments have allowed their work
to be seen by a broader audience. The portraits
include well-known figures such as Barack Obama,
Angelina Jolie, and Norman Mailer, as well as everyday
individuals. In our school program, students will be
introduced to the work of all six photographers, and
will enter into a conversation about contemporary
portraiture by considering the compositional choices
that these artists make in their work.
FL, Buck Hill, Minnesota by Alec Soth, pigmented ink print, 2007. Printed in Fashion
Magazine. Collection of the artist, courtesy Gagosian Gallery, New York City © Alec Soth
Whether or not you can visit the exhibition at the
Portrait Gallery, be sure to check out the online
exhibition at www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/feature/,
where you can learn more about the artists and view
many of the images.
“Presidents in Waiting”
Through January 3, 2010
A “Presidents in Waiting” school program is available
for grades 4–12
The “Presidents in Waiting” teacher workshop is
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 5:00–8:00 p.m.
Although John Adams, the nation’s first vicepresident, once referred to the vice presidency as
“the most insignificant office” ever invented by man,
fourteen of the nation’s vice presidents have gone
on to become president of the United States. In our
school program, students will examine the portraits
in the exhibition in order to discover the different
ways in which these men assumed the office of the
presidency. Although they might have all held John
Adams’s “insignificant office,” the men explored in
this exhibition played significant roles in American
history.
Join us for our “Presidents in Waiting” Teacher
Workshop on February 10, 2009, where you can
explore strategies for using these presidential portraits as a creative teaching tool in your classroom.
Martin Van Buren by David Claypoole Johnston, lithograph, 1840
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Portraiture Now: Feature Photography
Through September 27, 2009
A “Portraiture Now: Feature Photography” school
program is available for grades 5–12
Please contact the school and teacher program
coordinator at whitebz@si.edu to register for a
school or teacher program, request additional
information, or contribute to this newsletter.
John Adams (1735–1826)
John Adams by Mather Brown, oil on canvas, 1788
The Boston Athenaeum, Massachusetts
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
Thomas Jefferson by Mather Brown, oil on canvas, 1786
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; bequest of Charles Francis Adams
About the Portraits
In 1786, Thomas Jefferson, the American ambassador to France, visited his friend John Adams
in London, where Adams was serving as the American ambassador to Great Britain. Adams
and Jefferson had served together in the Second Continental Congress in 1776, where
they had both been on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. While in
London, Jefferson sat for a portrait by American-born artist Mather Brown. Adams also sat
for Brown, and he and Jefferson exchanged their portraits as a symbol of their friendship.
Adams even requested that Brown include Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia in the
background of his portrait, in order to show his esteem for the book’s author.
The two men became political opponents when Adams served as the nation’s first vice
president under George Washington and Jefferson served as the first secretary of state.
The strain on their friendship grew when Jefferson served as Adams’s vice president and
then when Jefferson defeated Adams in the presidential election of 1800. After years of not
speaking to each other, Adams and Jefferson resumed their friendship when they began
writing letters to each other in 1812, upon the encouragement of a mutual friend. They wrote
each other until their deaths, which happened on the exact same day—July 4, 1826.
The portrait of Adams remained in Jefferson’s possession at his home, Monticello, until
his death in 1826. It was then sold at auction and ultimately bequeathed to the Boston
Athenaeum in 1908. The portrait of Jefferson, his earliest known formal portrait, remained
in the Adams family until it was bequeathed to the National Portrait Gallery in 1999.
Learning to Look
Activities
1. Compare and contrast the two portraits. How are
they similar? How are they different? Would you
have guessed that they are by the same artist?
Why or why not?
For younger students:
Adams asked the artist to include Jefferson’s
book in his portrait as a symbol of Adams’s
respect for its author. If Jefferson had wanted
to include something in his portrait to show his
respect for Adams, what might he have included?
Research Adams’s life and career, and then
choose one symbol or object that represents his
accomplishments to add to Jefferson’s portrait.
2. What color is most dominant in the background
of both of these portraits? What effect does the
use of this color have on the portraits?
3. What specific elements (objects, symbols, etc.)
does the artist include to show that Adams and
Jefferson are important statesmen?
4. The statue shown behind Jefferson is a GrecoRoman figure known as the Goddess of Liberty.
The cap that she carries on a pole is a Roman
symbol of liberation. Why might the artist have
included this figure in the background? What
effect does it have on the portrait?
For older students:
Research the lives and careers of both Adams and
Jefferson. Then make a timeline that maps their
relationship, from being allies in the Continental
Congress to fellow ministers in Europe, rivals in
Washington’s administration, enemies as president
and vice president, and, eventually, reconciled
correspondents. For each phase in their relationship,
include on your timeline dates, relevant
information, additional portraits, and at least one
symbol that represents that period in their lives.