“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true”
Although George Washington never heard Judy Garland’s famous rendition, the rainbow, nevertheless, figured largely in one of his famous portraits. The Lansdowne full-length artwork is by Gilbert Stuart. Stuart was the premier American portrait painter of his time. He expected to make a fortune off of Washington’s depictions. I do not know how much the artist made off of his visual renderings of our first President, but the British gentleman who inherited the Lansdowne Portrait wanted to sell it to the United States for 20 million in 2001! Through the generous donation of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation (which also generously supports the George Washington Oklahoma Ambassador Program) the country now is the proud owner of the work of art. It resides in the National Portrait Gallery.
“The painting was made in 1796 which was the last year of Washington’s presidency. It was to be grand but not kingly—a representative of democracy.” What? Not just a portrait but a representative of democracy? I have seen so many copies of the artwork that I never REALLY studied it. Last summer at the George Washington Teacher Institute the educators went on a fieldtrip to the Gallery. Our guide had us look at the painting for 30 seconds and then turn our backs. She questioned us about what was on the canvas. We pretty much got everything wrong. Once we turned around the portrait seemed to come alive. There were so many things that we never noticed—symbols that were representative of the new nation and George Washington. The National Gallery has a wonderful interactive portrait online that teachers and students can use to explore all the elements, but I want to concentrate on just one—the rainbow. “The advertisement for the first exhibit of the Lansdowne Portrait in 1798 read, ‘He is surrounded with allegorical emblems of his public life in the service of his country, which are highly illustrative of the great and tremendous storms which have frequently prevailed. These storms have abated, and the appearance of the rainbow is introduced in the background as a sign.’ Rainbows represent hope, and because they are made of white light spilt into parts, it also symbolizes unity in diversity for a new nation.”
As the George Washington Teaching Ambassador was on vacation in Jackson, Wyoming last week, imagine my surprise as a rainbow appeared in the sky as I entered the town. It gently reminded me of our first President and how he remains a symbol of optimistic hope and patriotic citizenship to our nation. “Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray (Lord Byron).” May we all be rainbows like George Washington.
NOTE: Almost all information came from the National Portrait Gallery website which is: http://www.georgewashington.si.edu/portrait/index.html.
June 22nd, 2009 at 2:03 am
Woah! I must have seen that portrait a hundred times while George Washington googling, and I have NEVER noticed that rainbow. That is so cool! I have been enlightened, once again, by the great GW Teaching Ambassador. :]