National Portrait Gallery

National Portrait Gallery Review

Devoted to the intersection of art, biography, and history, this collection houses nearly 20,000 images of men and women who have shaped U.S. history. There are prints, paintings, photos, and multimedia sculptures of subjects from George Washington to Madonna. This museum shares the landmark Old Patent Office Building with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Highlights

The building itself: Built between 1836 and 1863, and praised by Walt Whitman as the "noblest of Washington buildings," this gracious marble edifice is considered one of the country's finest examples of Greek Revival architecture.

The gallery has the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House, starting with Gilbert Stuart's iconic "Lansdowne" portrait of George Washington. Interesting perspectives include the plaster cast of Abraham Lincoln's head and hands; political cartoonist Pat Oliphant's sculpture of George H. W. Bush bowling; and Shepard Fairey's red, white, and blue Obama Hope portrait of President Barack Obama.

The American Origins exhibit chronicles the first contact between Europeans and Native Americans, the Founding Fathers, and historic figures through the Industrial Age. Subjects include Benjamin Franklin (the painting, by Joseph Duplessis, is the basis for Franklin's likeness on the $100 bill); Native American diplomat Pocahontas; and Thomas Edison in his workshop.

From a moving bronze sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. to Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe prints, to Madonna's 1985 Time magazine cover, the third-floor gallery of Twentieth-Century Americans offers a vibrant tour of the people who shaped the country and culture of today.

Tips

The Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum are two different entities within the same building—the art complements the portraits, setting up a rich dialogue between the two. The elegant covered courtyard has a café, free Wi-Fi, and is frequently the site of performances and special events. At the "Portrait Connection" computer kiosks, you can search a database of the gallery's collections. Look up the portrait's subject, and the database can tell you where in the gallery it is and show you an image, even if it's not currently on exhibit. There are free docent-led tours most weekdays at 11:45, 1, and 2:15, and most Saturdays and Sundays at 11:45, 1:30, and 3:15. Check the Web site to confirm times. At the Lunder Conservation Center on the third and fourth floors, you can watch conservators preserving and restoring works.