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Joseph McCarthy

Joseph McCarthy
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Ernest Hamlin Baker, 1889 - 1975
Sitter
Joseph Raymond McCarthy, 14 Nov 1908 - 2 May 1957
Date
1954
Type
Painting
Medium
Watercolor, gouache, ink, white correction fluid, and graphite pencil on watercolor board
Dimensions
Sheet: 44 x 34cm (17 5/16 x 13 3/8")
Mat: 55.9 x 40.6cm (22 x 16")
Topic
Printed Material\Newspaper
Equipment\Sound Devices\Microphone
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
Joseph Raymond McCarthy: Male
Joseph Raymond McCarthy: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Joseph Raymond McCarthy: Natural Resource Occupations\Agriculturist\Farmer
Joseph Raymond McCarthy: Law and Crime\Judge
Joseph Raymond McCarthy: Politics and Government\US Senator\Wisconsin
Joseph Raymond McCarthy: Military and Intelligence\Marine Corps\Officer\Lieutenant
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Object number
NPG.96.TC31
Exhibition Label
Born near Appleton, Wisconsin
First elected to the Senate in 1946, Joseph McCarthy briefly rose to a position of unrivaled power in the 1950s by fanning Cold War fears of a deep-seated, internal Communist threat to the United States.
With his appointment as chairman of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in 1953, McCarthy instigated a series of high-profile hearings marked by bullying tactics and scurrilous accusations of Communist affiliation that wrecked the lives and careers of many of those he targeted.
This portrait of Senator McCarthy speaks to his ability to grab headlines with his incendiary claims of rampant Communist infiltration of the United States government. It was created to accompany Time magazine’s lengthy cover story in its March 8, 1954, issue, focusing on the backstory to the senator’s ongoing attacks on the United States Army. This feud would culminate in the televised Army-McCarthy hearings and lead to the senator’s downfall.
Nacido cerca de Appleton, Wisconsin
Electo por primera vez para el Senado en 1946, Joseph McCarthy ascendió brevemente a una posición de poder sin igual en la década de 1950, durante la Guerra Fría, al avivar el miedo a los peligros de un comunismo arraigado en Estados Unidos. En 1953, como presidente del Subcomité Permanente de Investigaciones del Senado, instigó una serie de audiencias muy notorias, caracterizadas por tácticas de acoso y groseras acusaciones de afiliación comunista que destruyeron las vidas y carreras de muchas de sus víctimas.
Este retrato de McCarthy evoca su talento para acaparar titulares con incendiarias alegaciones de una rampante infiltración comunista en el gobierno de EE.UU. El retrato se creó para un extenso artículo de la revista Time del 8 de marzo de 1954 sobre el trasfondo de los ataques por parte del senador al Ejército. Este pleito culminó en las llamadas audiencias Ejército-McCarthy, transmitidas por televisión, que condujeron a la caída del senador.
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
Exhibition
20th Century Americans: 1930-1960
On View
NPG, South Gallery 321