Collections Acquisitions 



The gallery acquired the earliest recorded photographic 

 porttait of abolitionist John Brown, a daguerreotype by- 

 Augustus Washington. The purchase was made possible by a 

 generous contribution from Betty Adler Schermer whose 

 great grandfathet fought next to John Brown in Kansas. 

 Other notable acquisitions included a self-portrait drawing by 

 Jacob Lawrence, screen prints of Marilyn Monroe by Andy 

 Warhol, the gallery's first acquisition of animation eels by the 

 Walt Disney Studio, a sculpture of Irving Berlin, and paint- 

 ings of Merce Cunningham, Joseph Brant, and Lionel 

 Hampton. 



Research 



The gallery celebrated two years of presenting its collections, 

 programs, and exhibitions to tesearchers and the public on 

 the Internet. A monthly portrait quiz on America Online 

 attracted a regular following of participants with gallery 

 exhibition catalogues awarded to the winners. The website 

 (http://ww-w.npg.si.edu) has received several awards that in- 

 cluded CNET Best of the Web. Education Index Top Site. Lycos 

 Top f7c. and TbirdAge Special Site. The Catalog of American 

 portraits added collections in Oregon and the Dakotas to its 

 tesearch database, which is accessible on the web. The Peale 

 Family Papers submitted, and Yale University Press has ap- 

 proved for publication, volume 5 of The Autobiography of 

 Charles Willson Peale. 



Exhibitions 



"Red, Hot, & Blue: A Salute to American Musicals," a col- 

 laboration between the National Potttait Gallery and the Na- 

 tional Museum of American History, was a major exhibition 

 presented at the Gallery from October 25, 1996 through July 

 6, 1997, and was sponsored by Discover® Card with addition- 

 al funding provided by The Shubert Foundation, the Ira and 

 Lenore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund, Hal and Judy Prince, 

 and the Smithsonian Institution Special Exhibition Fund. Ap- 

 proximately 200,000 visitors (including Tony Bennett, Liza 

 Minnelli, Carol Channing, and Gregory Peck) came to view 

 the exhibition, and museum shop sales surpassed previous 

 records. The lavishly illustrated book accompanying the ex- 

 hibition became a Book of the Month Club alternate. Public 

 programs offered in conjunction with the exhibition ranged 

 from original musical performances at both museums to a 

 "conversation" between curators Dwight Bowers and Amy 

 Henderson and Broadway legend Hal Prince. The evening 

 was cosponsored with The Smithsonian Associates and the Na- 

 tional Museum of American History, and was videotaped for 

 broadcast on the Ovation arts cable network. The curators are 

 developing a touring version of the exhibition with the Smith- 

 sonian Institution Traveling Service and a documentary film 

 spotlighting the role of musicals in American culture. 



"Edith Wharton's World: Portraits of People and Places" 

 marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of Wharton's 



book The Decoration of Houses, and featured artifacts that 

 reflected the writer's cosmopolitan life. Support for this 

 exhibition was provided by The Citibank Private Bank, Ms. 

 Charlotte Thotne Bordeaux, Dr. Thomas H. Maren, and the 

 Smithsonian Institution Special Exhibition Fund; in-kind 

 support was provided by Schumacher® and House Beautiful 

 magazine. "Mathew Brady's Portraits: Images as History, 

 Photography as Art" was the first comprehensive study in this 

 century of Brady's entire career. The exhibition included early- 

 daguerreotypes, majestic Imperial photographs, and the tiny 

 cartes-de-visites that were made by the millions at the time of 

 the Civil Wat. Generous support was provided by Siemens 

 with additional funding from The Marpat Foundation, the 

 Smithsonian Institution Exhibition Fund, and the Smithson- 

 ian Scholarly Studies Program. Portraits from the gallery's col- 

 lection in "Breaking Racial Barriers: African Americans in the 

 Harmon Foundation Collection" recreated the 1944 exhibition 

 organized by the Harmon Foundation to combat racial pre- 

 ludice. "Le Tumulte Noir: Paul Colin's Jazz Age Portfolio" 

 featured a colorful portfolio of lithographs by Paul Colin 

 celebrating Josephine Baker and the jazz craze in 1920s Paris. 



Education 



The gallery continues to reach out to new audiences and to 

 share its collections and mission with Americans who are un- 

 able to visit. The education department offered a variety of 

 shows, lectures, and tours for senior adults presented at the 

 gallery or at sites such as nursing homes, adult day-care 

 centers, etc. These focussed on themes and subjects suggested 

 by the gallery's permanent collection and special exhibitions. 

 Portraits in Music programs brought back the music of the 

 audience's youth, featuring artists such as Irving Berlin, 

 George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Lerner and Lowe, Duke Elling- 

 ton and WC. Handy. Illuminated Lectures brought seniors face 

 to face with American hiscory, with lectures such as "Posing 

 for the Presidency," "Leading Ladies: Women and Reform in 

 the United States," and "The Age of Optimism." Programs 

 were offered for third- through twelfth-grade students, along 

 with workshops for teachers, presented either at the school or 

 in the gallery. 



Special Projects 



Susan W. Dryfoos's film The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story 

 made its Washington, DC, premiere at the gallery. Black 

 Broadway, an original "Cultures in Motion" musical produc- 

 tion, was presented in conjunction with "Red, Hot & Blue." 

 Singers, dancers, and actors highlighted the history of black 

 music and dance on Broadway, and captivated an audience of 

 unprecedented size. NPG and Discovery Channel cohosted a 

 behind-the-scenes tour on the theme of Presidents Day for 

 members of Congress and their families. In March Dorothy- 

 Height, president of the National Council of Negro Women, 

 was interviewed by Marc Pachter in the series "Living Self- 

 Portraits." Hirschfeld also appeared in this series. The Prime 



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