Marian Anderson

William H. Johnson, Marian Anderson, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.657
Copied William H. Johnson, Marian Anderson, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, 35 5828 78 in. (90.473.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.657

Artwork Details

Title
Marian Anderson
Date
ca. 1945
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
35 5828 78 in. (90.473.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Performing arts — music — voice
  • Architecture — religious — church
  • Portrait female — Anderson, Marian — full length
  • Portrait female — Roosevelt, Eleanor
  • Object — other — flag
  • Architecture Exterior — civic — Eiffel Tower
  • Architecture Exterior — civic — Lincoln Memorial
  • Architecture Exterior — civic — White House
Object Number
1967.59.657

Artwork Description

In 1939 Marian Anderson (1897--1993)--an internationally acclaimed contralto renowned for her renditions of operatic arias, spirituals, and Gospel music--was barred by the Daughters of the American Revolution from performing at Washington, D.C.'s Constitution Hall because of her race. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt protested, as did the NAACP, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the American Federation of Labor, and other national organizations. Within weeks the Secretary of the Interior invited Anderson to sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. She was initially reluctant: "I said yes, but the yes did not come easily or quickly. ... As I thought further, I could see that my significance as an individual was small in this affair. I had become, whether I liked it or not, a symbol, representing my people." Attendance at the concert justified her decision. More than seventy-five thousand people, most of them African American, came to hear her perform; millions more listened on the radio.

Johnson painted at least three portraits of Anderson. Two show her standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial. In this, the third, she is surrounded by evidence of her international fame. Brazilian, Chilean, Ecuadorean, and other flags represent her 1937 to 1939 concert tour of South America. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, St. Peter's in Rome, and other monuments track her popularity across Europe and Scandinavia. Johnson also honored Anderson's long-time vocal coach Kosti Vehanen, who is seated at a grand piano. 
 

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Exhibitions

Media - 1967.59.1146 - SAAM-1967.59.1146_2 - 141130
Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice
March 8, 2024September 10, 2024
William H. Johnson's Fighters for Freedom series from the mid-1940s is a tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers, and performers as well as international leaders working to bring peace to the world.