Marian Anderson

William H. Johnson, Marian Anderson, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.657
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
  • Portrait female — Roosevelt, Eleanor
  • Portrait female — Anderson, Marian — full length
  • Object — other — flag
  • Architecture Exterior — civic — White House
  • Architecture Exterior — civic — Lincoln Memorial
  • Architecture — religious — church
  • Architecture Exterior — civic — Eiffel Tower
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. 
 

Works by this artist (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, For India and China, ca. 1944-1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.662
For India and China
Dateca. 1944-1945
oil on paperboard
On view
William H. Johnson, Self-Portrait, ca. 1923-1926, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.679
Self-Portrait
Dateca. 1923-1926
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Mountain Blossoms, Volda, ca. 1936-1937, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.899
Mountain Blossoms, Volda
Dateca. 1936-1937
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Little Sweet, 1944, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1076
Little Sweet
Date1944
oil on paperboard
On view

Audio

Stop 193: Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson
1901, oil on paperboard

WILLIAM H. JOHNSON
Born: Florence, South Carolina 1901– Died: Central Islip, New York 1970

Video Player is loading.
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -:-
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected

      Videos

      Video Player is loading.
      Current Time 0:00
      Duration 0:00
      Loaded: 0%
      Stream Type LIVE
      Remaining Time 0:00
       
      1x
        • Chapters
        • descriptions off, selected
        • captions off, selected

          Samir Meghelli, senior curator at the Anacostia Community Museum, answers the question, “What can this fur coat tell us about Marian Anderson?” An internationally acclaimed singer, Marian Anderson used luxury wear as a symbol of African American possibility and progress. Meghelli discusses the fur coat Anderson wore while performing at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961 and how she used her stature to break down color barriers in the field of the arts.

          Artist William H. Johnson portrayed Marian Anderson in at least three paintings in his Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s. The series celebrates African American activists, scientists, teachers, performers, as well as international leaders working to bring peace to the world. This video accompanies SAAM’s exhibition Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice.

          William H. Johnson, Marian Anderson: americanart.si.edu/artwork/marian-anderson-11530
          Marian Anderson’s Fur Coat: anacostia.si.edu/collection/object/acm_1992.0034.0001

          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.