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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Artwork under copy…
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Artwork under copyright: Artwork © Marie-Suzanne Marotte.
Hommage au President Roosevelt
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Artwork under copy…
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Artwork under copyright: Artwork © Marie-Suzanne Marotte.

Hommage au President Roosevelt

Object numberMO 1974.169
Name Painting
Artist (French artist, 1894-1976)
Date1945
Mediumpaper, paint (watercolor), charcoal, ink
Dimensionsoverall H 19 3/4 in x W 25 1/2 in (50.2 cm x 64.8 cm )
DescriptionAn original watercolor painting that pays tribute to Franklin D. Roosevelt's part in the liberation of France during World War II. The painting features several symbolic scenes and images of war-related carnage. In the forefront stands the female figure of Marianne, the Goddess of Liberty and the symbol of the French Republic. She is saluting with her right hand as she looks up into a dramatic cloud-filled sky where the figure of Franklin D. Roosevelt is standing at the base of a staircase that leads up to a star. Marianne's left arm is angled downwards towards a group of injured and deceased soldiers on the ground with a line of additional soldiers standing some distance away. On the ground to her right is a seated group of women and children with one woman raising her arm in acknowledgment to the figure of FDR. A scene of still-burning destruction is visible beyond them. In the background is a concentration camp or a prisoner of war camp with a watch tower. In the sky above the camp, to the left, are images of airplanes and a view of charging soldiers bearing flags that represent the United States, France, and other Allied nations. The painting is signed by the artist in the lower right corner: M. S. Marotte.

On the reverse of the painting, the artist has written a note in ink that reads: à Madame Franklin Roosevelt / de Marie Suzanne Marotte / Le Mont Hymette / Redon (I. et V.) / France / Hommage au Président Roosevelt / grâces à qui la France a pu être délivrée / de l'envahisseur - / Mai 1945. . . . [Translation: To Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt from Marie Suzanne Marotte, Le Mont Hymette, Redon (I and V), France, Tribute to President Roosevelt thanks to whom France could be liberated from the invader - May 1945].
Label TextThis symbolic painting was presented to Eleanor Roosevelt by French artist Marie-Suzanne Marotte. It may be a study for a very similar painting (see MO 1950.82.3) that made its way to Wisconsin from France via the 1949 Merci Train, and was then sent to Mrs. Roosevelt later that year by the State Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1957.
Credit LineGift of Eleanor Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPrints and Paintings (National Archives Identifier 778817)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyCopyright© Marie-Suzanne Marotte / 1945. Copyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of these materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
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