• Lady Bird Johnson
    Elizabeth Shoumatoff
    official portrait
    This oil on canvas portrait of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson was painted by Elizabeth Shoumatoff. Mrs. Johnson graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism. During her life prior to the White House, her business acumen meant she became the first First Lady to be a millionaire in her own right. As First Lady, she spearheaded beautification projects spanning cities and highways and initiated several firsts for her office. She was the first to have a press secretary and chief of staff, as well as the first to do a solo tour to campaign for major policy issues, such as the Civil Rights Act. Her husband, Lyndon Johnson, served as president from November 22, 1963 until January 20, 1969.
  • Ronald Wilson Reagan
    Everett Raymond Kinstler
    official portrait
    This oil on canvas portrait of President Ronald Reagan was painted by Everett Raymond Kinstler in 1991. Reagan served as governor of California from 1967-1975 and was president from January 20, 1981 until January 20, 1989. Kinstler began his career drawing comic books and illustrations for books and magazines before becoming a portraitist renowned for his paintings of famous entertainers, politicians, authors, and justices of the Supreme Court. Kinstler has painted portraits of Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Jimmy Carter, Richard M. Nixon, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. His portraits of Reagan, seen here, and Gerald R. Ford, are official presidential portraits.
  • Eleanor Roosevelt
    Douglas Chandor
    portrait
    This oil on canvas portrait of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was painted by Douglas Chandor. Her husband, Franklin Roosevelt, was president from March 4, 1933 until his death on April 12, 1945, a span of time that included the Great Depression and the entirety of World War II. Mrs. Roosevelt advocated for many causes during her years in the White House, holding press conferences, traveling extensively and writing a syndicated newspaper column. Following her time as first lady, Mrs. Roosevelt was appointed a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly and was the first chair of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. There, she co-drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1949, Mrs. Roosevelt first sat for her portrait in Chandor's New York studio. The White House Historical Association purchased the portrait for the White House Collection. On February 4, 1966, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson invited more than 250 guests to the White House for the presentation of Eleanor Roosevelt's official portrait.