National Portrait Gallery Presents “One Life: Will Rogers”

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery announces “One Life: Will Rogers,” an online exhibition exploring the life and legacy of 20th-century actor, entertainer and political commentator Will Rogers (1879–1935), whose humor bridged social divides. As the first exhibition presented exclusively on the Portrait Gallery’s website, it brings together paintings and photographs with works on paper—including movie posters and animation drawings—and vintage film clips. “One Life: Will Rogers” is curated by Historian Kate Clarke Lemay with contributions by retired Portrait Gallery Historian James Barber and with assistance from Exhibitions Program Specialist Dominique DelGiudice. The exhibition is available to view online from June 25 at npg.si.edu. 

Born to a prominent Cherokee family on a ranch in Indian Territory near present-day Oologah, Oklahoma, Will Rogers came to showbusiness at a young age. Remarkably skilled with the lasso, he amazed audiences at steer roping contests in Oklahoma and later, Wild West shows in South Africa. Defying stereotypes of the rugged cowboy, Rogers was an intellect whose perfect comedic pitch and pointed commentary allowed him to step out of the saddle, and onto the stage. With a career that ultimately spanned vaudeville, silent films, “talkies,” newspaper and radio, Rogers established himself as an icon of American culture and was one of the nation’s most prominent celebrities during his lifetime.

Before Mickey Rooney, Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart, there was Will Rogers. An early media star with mass appeal, Rogers authored six books, appeared in seventy-one films, wrote 4,000 syndicated newspaper columns and hosted a popular Sunday evening radio program. His dry takes on current events resonated with Americans across the political spectrum, who devoured the pointed jabs he directed at politicians and other newsmakers in his extremely popular newspaper columns and radio show. Yet whatever the medium, Rogers’ work lifted the nation’s spirits during some of the most trying times—World War I, the recession that followed, and the Great Depression.

“Will Rogers was a star in every sense of the word,” said Lemay. “And part of what made him so appealing to audiences and readers was how sincerely relatable and true to himself he remained in his work and throughout his career. Whether on stage or in the paper, the ‘cowboy philosopher’ filtered the people and events of his time through a lens of wit, humor and the collective American conscience.”  

Rogers used his platform and fame to advocate for the things he cared about. He traveled the country during the Great Depression in support of the Red Cross, campaigned for an end to Prohibition and advocated for greater U.S. investment in commercial and military aviation. His frequent writings on the latter issue helped shape public opinion in support of the then fledging aviation industry in the United States. In 1935, at the age of fifty-five, Will Rogers embarked upon an Alaskan adventure with veteran pilot and aviation pioneer Wiley Post. The two men lost their lives when the engine of their modified Lockheed Orion failed at low altitude and crashed into a coastal lagoon near Point Barrow. At the time of his death, Rogers was Hollywood’s best paid actor and one of the film industry’s main draws.

Since 2006, the National Portrait Gallery has held seventeen exhibitions in the series “One Life,” which is dedicated to the biography of a single figure. Past exhibitions have focused on notable figures like Marian Anderson, Dolores Huerta and Ronald Reagan. “One Life: Will Rogers” has been funded in part by the Guenther and Siewchin Yong Sommer Endowment Fund. Additional support was received from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee. The Portrait Gallery also offers an additional nineteen online exhibitions developed with Google Arts and Culture.