Face-to-Face, from the National Portrait Gallery

Warren Perry, researcher at NPG a portrait of Toni Morrison by Robert McCurdy. Toni Morrison has been writing about the experiences of African Americans since her first novel, The Bluest Eye, appeared in 1970. With the publication of each new work, both her fan base and critical acclaim grew, and she won the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Award for Song of Solomon (1977) and the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved (1987). In 1993 Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first black woman to become a Nobel laureate. This 2006 portrait of Toni Morrison, by Robert McCurdy, is on view in the "Twentieth Century Americans" exhibition at National Portrait Gallery, on the museum's third floor. Warren Perry, researcher at the National Portrait Gallery, discussed the painting at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. Recorded at NPG, April 2, 2009. Image info: Toni Morrison / Robert McCurdy, 2006 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; on loan from Ian and Annette Cumming

Erin Carlson Mast, curator at Lincoln's Cottage, discusses Mary Todd Lincoln. It is difficult to know the character of the Lincolns' relationship. When Lincoln wed Mary Todd in 1842, he married into a well-established Illinois family. Mary was strong-willed, capricious, and adamant. When she eventually showed signs of derangement, her instability colored discussions of her earlier years. Both of Lincoln's secretaries hated her and gained their revenge in their memoirs of the White House years. But from the best evidence, Lincoln was patient with a woman who could be difficult, not least because she suffered terribly at the death of their sons. After Willie died in 1862, she became increasingly fearful and detached, worrying about Lincoln himself, consulting spiritualists, and spending time away from Washington. This small sketch by Pierre Morand, circa 1864, seems to show her departing on such a trip, and the artist has juxtaposed the figures to suggest a gap or tension between them that will never be fully known. Erin Carlson Mast, curator at Lincoln's Cottage, spoke about Mary Todd Lincoln at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. The sketch of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln is displayed on the museum's first floor, in the exhibition "One Life: The Mask of Lincoln." See the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/lincoln . Recorded at NPG, March 26, 2009. Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, c. 1864 / Pierre Morand / Ink and opaque white gouache on paper / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

The NPG's Amy Baskette discusses a portrait of Lady Bird Johnson by Boris Artzybasheff. Claudia Taylor's nursemaid declared that she was as pretty as a "ladybird," a nickname that stuck with her through her entire life. Lady Bird Johnson graduated from high school at age fifteen and earned two degrees at the University of Texas: a B.A. in 1933 and a degree in journalism in 1934. That same year, she met Lyndon Johnson, a young legislative secretary. After a brief courtship--best characterized by her statement that "sometimes Lyndon simply takes your breath away"--they were married. Devoted to her husband's political career, Lady Bird Johnson ran his office during World War II and in 1955, after he suffered a heart attack. The couple had two daughters. As first lady, Lady Bird was active in Head Start and her promotion of the Highway Beautification Act. The National Portrait Gallery's Amy Baskette discussed this portrait of Lady Bird Johnson by Boris Artzybasheff at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. The work is displayed on the museum's second floor, in the exhibition "America's Presidents." The portrait was originally created for Time magazine's August 28, 1964, edition. Recorded at NPG, March 12, 2009. Image info: Lady Bird Johnson / Boris Artzybasheff, 1964 / Crayon, watercolor, ink and polymer on board / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine / Copyright Brois Artzybasheff

Sid Hart, senior historian at NPG, discusses a portrait of Martha Washington by Gilbert Stuart. Gilbert Stuart painted this portrait of Martha Washington at the same time he did that of the president. Both paintings were commissioned by the Washingtons. They were never completed, however, and the artist kept them in his possession until his death. Although Stuart made many copies of the president's portrait, no other likeness of Martha Washington by Stuart is known to exist. Sid Hart, senior historian at the National Portrait Gallery, discussed this 1796 portrait of Martha Washington at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. The work is displayed on the museum's second floor, in the exhibition "America's Presidents." Recorded at NPG, March 19, 2009. Image info: Martha Dandridge Custis Washington / Gilbert Stuart, 1796 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; owned jointly with Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Ellen Miles, curator of painting and sculpture at NPG, discusses a portrait of Dolley Madison by William Elwell. Dolley Madison served as White House hostess during the administrations of the widowed Thomas Jefferson and her own husband, James Madison. Her effervescence doubtless accounted, in part at least, for the popularity of Madison's presidency in its last several years. After the end of Madison's term in 1817, Dolley helped her husband put his papers in order, selling a portion of them to Congress after his death.The work is displayed on the museum's second floor, in the exhibition "America's Presidents." Recorded at NPG, March 5, 2009. Image info: Dolley Dandridge Payne Todd Madison / William S. Elwell, 1848 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Reuben Jackson, archivist at the National Museum of American History, discusses Ornette Coleman. For both his musical virtuosity on alto saxophone and his compositions, Ornette Coleman is one of the major forces in American music in the late twentieth century. Like painter Jackson Pollock and writer Walt Whitman, who rejected traditional forms as too constrictive for human expression, Coleman broke with existing jazz diction, creating a raw sound that seemed to deliberately avoid the musical scale in favor of "playing in the cracks." Reuben Jackson, archivist at the National Museum of American History discussed this portrait of Ornette Coleman by Frederick J. Brown at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. The work is displayed on the museum's third floor, in the exhibition "20th Century Americans." Recorded at NPG, February 19, 2009. Image info: Thelonious Sphere Monk / Boris Chaliapin, 1964 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, gift of Time magazine

Jim Barber, historian at NPG, discusses a portrait of Thelonious Monk by Boris Chaliapin. A leader of the postwar jazz revolution, Thelonious Monk--along with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker--sparked the "bebop" movement, a jazz style faster and more frenetic than the swing that had held sway since the thirties. Monk's piano style has been called eccentric: "his melodies were angular, his harmonies full of jarring clusters." Jim Barber, historian at the National Portrait Gallery, discussed this portrait of Thelonious Monk by Boris Chaliapin at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. The portrait was created for Time magazine and appeared on the cover of the February 28, 1964, edition. The work is displayed on the museum's third-floor mezzanine, in the exhibition "Bravo!" Recorded at NPG, February 19, 2009. Image info: Thelonious Sphere Monk / Boris Chaliapin, 1964 / Oil on canvas / National Portrait Gallery, gift of Time magazine

The NPG's Lauren Johnson discusses a portrait of Maria Callas by Henry Koerner. In a postwar opera world that needed stars, Maria Callas was said to have "restored the ancient luster to the title of prima donna." Born in New York and raised in Greece, Callas, by sheer force of personality and artistry, rejuvenated the public's interest in this classic music genre. The National Portrait Gallery's Lauren Johnson discussed this 1956 portrait of Callas by Henry Koerner at a Face-to-Face portrait talk. The work is displayed on the museum's third-floor mezzanine, in the exhibition "Bravo!" Recorded at NPG, February 12, 2009. Image info: Maria Callas / Henry Koerner, 1956 / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine / Frame conserved with funds from the Smithsonian Women's Committee

Maya Foo, researcher at NPG, discusses a portrait of Bette Midler by artist Richard Amsel. Richard Amsel, an emerging talent who had recently won a nationwide contest to design the poster for Hello, Dolly!, caught Midler's energy and flair in his 1973 poster. Midler's accompanist, Barry Manilow, who produced her first and second albums, admired Amsel's work, and Midler agreed he should design the cover and advertising art. Amsel's stylized strutting figure graced Midler's second album, promoted a national tour, and here announced her appearance to sold-out audiences at New York's Palace Theater in December 1973. A similar image was reused for later albums and tours. This poster was on view in the exhibition "Ballyhoo: Posters as Portraiture," view the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/ballyhoo/index.html . Recorded at NPG, February 5, 2009. Image info: Bette Midler/ Richard Amsel, 1973 / Color photolithographic poster/ National Portrait Gallery; gift of Jack Rennert/ Copyright Richard Amsel

Ann Shumard, curator of photographs at NPG, discussed this portrait of Michael J. Fox by Steve Pyke. The image is on display in the exhibition "Portraiture Now: Feature Photography." View the online exhibition at: http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/feature . Recorded at NPG, January 29, 2009. Image info: Michael J. Fox / Steve Pyke / Gelatin silver print, 2007 / Collection of the artist, courtesy Flowers Gallery, New York City / Copyright Steve Pyke