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Pat Nixon

Pat Nixon
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Robert Vickrey, 26 Aug 1926 - 17 Apr 2011
Sitter
Pat Nixon, 16 Mar 1912 - 22 Jun 1993
Date
1960
Type
Painting
Medium
Tempera on Masonite
Dimensions
Stretcher: 54 × 40.8 × 1.3 cm (21 1/4 × 16 1/16 × 1/2")
Frame: 66.4 × 53.7 × 2.9 cm (26 1/8 × 21 1/8 × 1 1/8")
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Interior
Architecture\Window
Costume\Jewelry\Bracelet
Pat Nixon: Female
Pat Nixon: Politics and Government\First Lady\First Lady of US
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Robert Vickrey / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Object number
NPG.78.TC630
Exhibition Label
Born Ely, Nevada
First Lady 1969–1974
As a woman who had worked hard to support herself through college, Nevada-born Thelma Catherine “Pat” Ryan Nixon was a staunch advocate of the Equal Rights Amendment. During her husband Richard Nixon’s vice presidency under President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–61) and during his own presidency, she visited over eighty countries. As first lady she focused on access for all those wishing to visit the White House, resulting in foreign-language pamphlets and the installation of the first wheelchair ramps at the mansion.
This wistful portrait of Nixon was featured on the February 29, 1960, cover of Time magazine, during her husband’s unsuccessful presidential run against John F. Kennedy. The artist, Robert Vickrey, was a master of egg tempera, an ancient technique that requires great skill. From 1957 to 1968, Vickrey created seventy-eight covers for Time magazine, only a handful of which feature notable women like Pat Nixon.
Nacida en Ely, Nevada Primera dama 1969–1974
Como mujer que había trabajado duro para sostenerse cuando estaba en la universidad, Thelma Catherine “Pat” Ryan Nixon era defensora ferviente de la Enmienda de Igualdad de Derechos. Durante la vicepresidencia de su esposo Richard Nixon bajo el presidente Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–61), y luego durante la presidencia de Nixon, visitó más de 80 países. Como primera dama, quiso facilitar el acceso a todos los que desearan visitar la Casa Blanca, fomentando la creación de folletos en varios idiomas y rampas para sillas de ruedas en la mansión.
Este retrato melancólico de Nixon apareció en la portada de la revista Time el 29 de febrero de 1960, durante la fallida campaña presidencial de su esposo frente a John F. Kennedy. Vickrey era un maestro de la témpera al huevo, una antigua técnica que exige gran destreza. Entre 1957 y 1968 creó para Time 78 portadas, entre las cuales figuran solo unas pocas mujeres notables como Pat Nixon.
Collection Description
In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view