Attraction of the Week: The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
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The Smithsonian Portrait Gallery is an unexpected D.C. gem. While it is not as widely talked about as other museums in this city, it was easily one of my favorite stops. Like all the other Smithsonian museums in The National Mall, admission is free.
It’s a nice refreshing change of pace planning a vacation where the majority of attractions are free for a change. This is one of the things I love about D.C. – I don’t have to spend anything for 90% of my activities. I really love this museum: it was really cool seeing all the presidential portraits. I highly recommend a visit if you are into art, history, and/or politics.
The gallery was founded by Congress in 1962 for the purpose of displaying portraits of “men and women who have made significant contributions to the history, development, and culture of the people of the United States.”
This museum shares its’ space in the historic US Patent Office building with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, one of the country’s largest & most impressive art museums. The enormous building takes up an entire city block. Even the outside is gorgeous: it was built in Greek revival style.
This place is massive with more than 1400 portraits typically on display at any given time. The full museum collection includes photographs, paintings, drawings, and sculptures, for a total of more than 20,000 impressive works. Strolling around the gigantic place is literally a long walk through the history of our nation. If you choose to also visit the American Art Museum (another must-see in my opinion), you’ll get in even more of a workout as you browse over 40,000 works by 7000 artists.
I’ll take you on a quick tour through some of the museum’s most interesting permanent exhibits. Of course, I always recommend checking out any museums for yourself if you have the ability to do so.
Presidential Portrait Gallery
The Portrait Gallery is home to the country’s only full collection of Presidential portraits (besides The White House). From Thomas Jefferson, to Abraham Lincoln, to Barack Obama, this exhibit tells the story of America’s history through portraits of some of the most prominent leaders. I especially loved seeing the iconic “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart.
During my time exploring this wonderful museum, I learned that Stuart was the first artist to paint a portrait of a President. Since his painting of George Washington in 1797, it is now tradition for every US President to have his portrait done, most commonly as an oil painting.
The artists are all extremely talented. It’s really incredible how precisely they were able to portray the individual uniqueness of each President. I loved browsing this gallery and wish I would have blocked out more time to explore!
On February 12th, 2018, portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama joined the collection. The Obamas chose artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald to paint their likeness. This marks the first time in history that African American artists were commissioned for original portraits. You will be able to read more unique facts during your time here. These museums defintiely serve as educational institutions: there are tons of unique facts to read over if you choose to do so.
The Obama portrait
The Obama portrait is wildly popular – the only one where you may have to stand in line and wait your turn for a quick photo. Since unveiling this portrait, the Gallery has seen a massive surge in visitation. It wasn’t overly crowded on our visit but there was more people around this exhibit. Overall, this museum is a lot quieter than most others we visited. According to The Washington Post, the museum saw a record 2.3 million visitors the year that Mr. & Mrs. Obama’s portraits went up (this is one million more than the prior year!).
If you are wondering where Trump’s portrait is located, you will have to wait until the end of his term (according to the museum, this is when it is likely to go up).
Portraits are conveniently arranged by time frame, beginning with the first 4 Presidents & Founding Fathers, and ending with the well-known figures of recent years such as George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan. You will get in a nice little history lesson while enjoying fabulous art: a win-win for me!
A few of my favorite portraits
While the presidential portraits are the big draw here, the museum has much more to offer. This place is gigantic with rooms and rooms full of historical paintings, drawings, and sculptures. I never knew how massive these D.C. museums were or I would have planned a lot more time to explore each.
You will need a few hours minimum simply to briefly scan all the exhibits. (you can skip the gym for sure!). I recommend limiting yourself to only 2-3 museums per day so you have time to explore everything. This is one of my favorites that I highly recommend making room for especially if you are a history buff!
The Struggle for Justice
This portion of the museum spotlights activists, including historical icons who have fought for civil and women’s rights. Highlights include portraits of women’s right activist Susan B. Anthony, prominent civil rights activist Martin Luther King, and Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. 40 portraits line this gallery, from the most important 19th century leaders who led the way, to those who have continued to fight for rights for marginalized groups in recent years.
Additionally, “Votes for Women,” is an interesting temporary exhibit which highlights African American activists.
Champions
This exhibit features portraits and various memorabilia relating to iconic American sports figures. Whether your preferred sport is hockey or swimming, you’ll see Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, and various other sports legends lining the walls. I barely had enough time to take more than a glimpse. By the time we got to this section, we were tired of walking and ready for lunch! That being said, this exhibit is first on my list on my next trip to the area.
American Origins
In this exhibit, you will take a walk through history via 18 galleries, taking a step back in time to the American Indian wars, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, and much more. Notable portraits include: Thomas Edison, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Alexander Hamilton. I imagine history buffs will be most impressed with the diverse variety of historical figures & artifacts on display. It was a lot to take in at once although I enjoyed the free history lesson.
Here is a brief overview of the diversity of paintings, sculptures, and artifacts you will see in the American Origins exhibit.
A gorgeous Steinway piano, circa 1903, the 100,000th Steinway produced. This was the main White House piano until 1937. It was donated to the White House during Roosevelt’s term. When a new piano arrived, this gold lined beauty was donated to the Smithsonian. As a (sub par) piano player, I can say that I’ve never seen a more beautiful instrument.
On an interesting side note, this museum is the first major museum to feature an exhibit on daguerreotypes, the earliest practical form of photography.
Bravo!
This exhibit focuses on entertainment figures from the past to the present. Portraits range from PT Barnum (founder of Barnum & Bailey circus), to Elvis Presley, the King of Rock N’ Roll.
Best time to visit
The nice thing about this museum is that it stays open a bit later than the other museums (7pm), so you have something to do when all the other museums close at 5. Plan on at least 2-3 hours to browse the entire museum, more if you plan on checking out the Smithsonian American Art Museum too (which I totally recommend).
Fortunately, this museum does not get as crowded as the other Smithsonians. Compared to the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History, walking through this one felt like a quiet break to me!
Additional Info
- Location: 8th St NW & F St NW, Washington, DC 20001
- Hours: 11:30am-7pm, 7 days a week
- Admission is free!
- Dining: There is a small courtyard cafe on-site serving sandwiches and soups. Additionally, the museum is walkable to a number of chains and local restaurants. I recommend Cuba Libre (a 0.2 mile walk). This is a fun themed restaurant serving a great lunch menu and great happy hour deals. They also offer live entertainment on weekend nights. Their black bean soup is pretty delicious!
- Where to stay: I love the Capitol Hill Hotel, which is walkable to all attractions and includes free breakfast and coffee all day.
More to do!
If I only had time for one, this would be number one on my list. This museum is the perfect choice for history buffs and photographers alike, as well as anyone else who appreciates great art. You will not find a museum like this anywhere else in the country, and that alone makes this a bucket list contender. That being said, there are so many wonderful museums and historic attractions to explore. Take a look at my D.C. travel guide for a full rundown of all the interesting sights in the Capitol Hill region.
