Name/Title
Official Portrait of 32nd American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945)Entry/Object ID
2001.01.88Description
Print
Reproduction print (circa 1935) after 1935 oil painting by Frank Owen Salisbury. The president is shown seated at a desk facing right with a furled banner to his left. He is wearing a blue suit and tie with white shirt.Artwork Details
Medium
Chromolithograph on paperSubject Place
Region
NortheastContinent
North AmericaContext
This official White House portrait depicts President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) often referred to by his initials "FDR", who was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death. Roosevelt is widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of the United States, as well as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio in 1921; however, he went on to win four presidential elections and he became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda. And he built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after his death in office.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Francis (Frank) Owen Salisbury (1874-1962)Role
PainterArtist
UnknownRole
PrintmakerDate made
circa 1935Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Hertforshire, England, Francis (Frank) Owen Salisbury was an English artist who specialized in portraits, large canvases of historical and ceremonial events, stained glass and book illustration. It is for portraiture that he is best known including royalty, the aristocracy, military figures and local and overseas politicians. He was one of the greatest society artists of his generation known as "Britain’s Painter Laureate”.
He attended Heatherley’s School of Fine Art in London, then won a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools which he attended for five years and where he won two silver medals and two scholarships. Over time, he had 70 exhibits accepted for the annual Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, from 1899 until 1943, though he was never offered membership.
It is for his portraits that Salisbury was so successful, artistically and financially. And he was very prolific. Some 25 members of the Royal House of Windsor sat for Salisbury and he was the first artist to paint Queen Elizabeth II. He painted Prime Minister Winston Churchill on more occasions than any other artist, and he traveled to the U.S.A. 13 times to paint the important figures of the day. He painted six Presidents with his Franklin D. Roosevelt remaining as the official White House portrait to this day. He also painted of over forty large canvases of historical and national events. Reportedly, stained glass remained his favourite art form, a preference that may have been related to his strong Methodist faith.Dimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
49.5 cmWidth
67.3 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
Legacy collection - detail unknownCopyright
Notes
The copyright of all of his paintings save two is held by the Estate of Frank O. Salisbury.
