Marian Anderson Portrait
ca. 1955
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This is photograph of a portrait by artist Betsy Graves Reyneau of singer Marian Anderson. The portrait depicts the singer during her Easter Sunday Concert at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939.
Marian Anderson, at the height of her fame as an opera singer and concert performer, had been invited to Washington, DC, then a segregated city, to perform at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Constitution Hall. However, through the efforts of Howard University officials, the NAACP and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the Department of the Interior arranged for an April 9 concert at the Lincoln Memorial. The Easter Sunday event was attended by tens of thousands of fans, and the radio broadcast allowed for millions more to celebrate Anderson’s talent and performance. The concert was seen as an early victory in the battle for civil rights.
This image is part of the Harmon Foundation Collection. The Harmon Foundation, a nonprofit, private foundation active from 1922 to 1967, helped foster an awareness of African art. African artists would send their artworks to the United States for exhibit and sale. When the foundation ended its activities in 1967, it donated its entire collection of motion pictures, filmstrips, color slides, and black and white prints and negatives on a variety of subjects to the National Archives. Learn more on the National Archives website.
Marian Anderson, at the height of her fame as an opera singer and concert performer, had been invited to Washington, DC, then a segregated city, to perform at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Constitution Hall. However, through the efforts of Howard University officials, the NAACP and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the Department of the Interior arranged for an April 9 concert at the Lincoln Memorial. The Easter Sunday event was attended by tens of thousands of fans, and the radio broadcast allowed for millions more to celebrate Anderson’s talent and performance. The concert was seen as an early victory in the battle for civil rights.
This image is part of the Harmon Foundation Collection. The Harmon Foundation, a nonprofit, private foundation active from 1922 to 1967, helped foster an awareness of African art. African artists would send their artworks to the United States for exhibit and sale. When the foundation ended its activities in 1967, it donated its entire collection of motion pictures, filmstrips, color slides, and black and white prints and negatives on a variety of subjects to the National Archives. Learn more on the National Archives website.
This primary source comes from the Collection H: Harmon Foundation Collection.
National Archives Identifier: 559192
Full Citation: Marian Anderson Portrait; ca. 1955; "Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin Painted by Two Women Artists", ca. 1943 - ca. 1963; Collection H: Harmon Foundation Collection; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/marian-anderson-portrait, September 9, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.