Marian Anderson's Legacy in Washington, D.C. Art: From Lincoln Memorial to Smithsonian Portraits
Born in Philadelphia in 1897, Marian Anderson started her singing career at the age of six, earning the title “Baby Contralto.” After her victory in a 1925 competition with the New York Philharmonic, her career in the U.S. faced obstacles due to racism, which led her to find success in Europe and Latin America starting in 1928. In 1939, when the Daughters of the American Revolution prevented her from performing at Constitution Hall, Eleanor Roosevelt assisted in organizing a concert at the Lincoln Memorial that drew 75,000 attendees. Edward Bruce established a committee to honor the occasion with a mural by Mitchell Jamieson. Notable portraits of Anderson were created by Laura Wheeler Waring, Betsy Graves Reyneau, and William H. Johnson. In 2005, a stamp featuring Marian Anderson was released by the U.S. Postal Service.
Key facts
- Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1897 and began singing at age six.
- In 1939, the DAR refused to let Anderson perform at Constitution Hall, leading to a Lincoln Memorial concert on Easter Sunday before 75,000 people.
- Edward Bruce formed a committee weeks after the concert to commission a mural in the Department of the Interior building.
- Mitchell Jamieson was selected from 172 artists and paid $1,700 for the mural An Incident in Contemporary American Life (1940–1943).
- Laura Wheeler Waring's 1944 portrait of Anderson was part of the Harmon Foundation's Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin exhibition.
- Betsy Graves Reyneau completed her portrait of Anderson in 1955, depicting her in a fur coat with Lincoln Memorial columns.
- William H. Johnson painted Anderson in 1939 and again in 1945 for his Fighters for Freedom series.
- The U.S. Postal Service issued a Marian Anderson stamp in 2005, the 28th in the Black Heritage series, painted by Albert Slark.
Entities
Artists
- Marian Anderson
- Mitchell Jamieson
- Laura Wheeler Waring
- Betsy Graves Reyneau
- William H. Johnson
- Albert Slark
- Carla Scemama
- Holcha Krake
- Kosti Vehanen
- Edward Bruce
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Presley Merritt Wagoner
- Paul Richard
- Dr. King
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Institutions
- New York Philharmonic
- Carnegie Hall
- Howard University
- National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
- National Park Service
- Section of Fine Arts of the Treasury Department
- Department of the Interior
- NASA
- United States Navy
- National Portrait Gallery
- Smithsonian Institution
- Harmon Foundation
- Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- National Postal Museum
- United States Postal Service
- PBS
- American Experience
- The Washington Post
- Daily Art Magazine
Locations
- Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania
- United States
- Europe
- Latin America
- Washington, D.C.
- Lincoln Memorial
- Constitution Hall
- White House
- Germany
- France
- Canada