Portrait and Pageant.
Inscribed to ER
[Roosevelt, Eleanor]. Salisbury, Frank O. Portrait and Pageant. Kings, Presidents, and People. London: John Murray, (1944).
8vo.; illustrated; red cloth, stamped in gilt.
First edition. A presentation copy, inscribed on the front endpaper, Eleanor with much love from Burky 1944. A charming memoir from the artist who executed the finest portrait of FDR. Salisbury enjoyed a great reputation on both sides of the Atlantic, painting Kings and Queens, American presidents and tycoons, and even Mussolini. In 1935 Sara Roosevelt commissioned his portrait of her son for the Genealogical Society. Salisbury’s recent experiences with American politicians had not been rewarding. Painting Herbert Hoover’s portrait was an unmitigated disaster. “Certainly I have never had a more difficult sitter, or one who seemed more aloof from his surroundings…. It was as if the whole burden of the world was on his shoulders and he could spare no minute for mere humans.” Salisbury soon discovered how different Roosevelt’s sunny disposition was from the dour Mr. Hoover. “Never have I had a more delightful sitter,” he wrote. Painting FDR was “an invigorating experience after my sad time with Mr. Hoover.”
But there were difficulties. The President’s busy schedule prevented adequate time for sittings; the poor light in the Oval Office obscured his subject; the stuffy Washington heat made the paint on the palette sticky and dry. Finally, Salisbury told Roosevelt that he would never be able to paint the portrait properly unless he had a long, undisturbed sitting. “I asked him if he ever broke the Sabbath, and he laughed, saying that occasionally he did. Then could he sit for me on Sunday? I asked, explaining that I only worked on Sundays in national emergencies, and we might consider this a national emergency.” His FDR portrait, taken in profile, perfectly captures the President’s calm self-assurance, strength and dignity. Salisbury liked it so much that he made a copy to present to Roosevelt. “Mrs. Roosevelt and I,” FDR wrote Salisbury, “are thrilled that we are to have the portrait. We have always felt that it was by far the best one that was ever done of me, and it will make the family very happy to own it.”
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