Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Artwork under copyright: Artwork © Tadé Styka.
Portrait Painting of Sara Delano Roosevelt
Artifact IDMO 1952.328
Object Type
Painting
Artist
Tadé Styka
(French painter, sculptor, and draftsman, 1889-1954)
Date1934
Mediumpainting: canvas, paint (oil)
frame: wood
frame: wood
Dimensionsframe H 47 in x W 37 in x D 2 3/4 in (119.4 cm x 94 cm x 7 cm )
painting (on stretcher) H 40 1/4 in x W 30 in (102.2 cm x 76.2 cm )
Physical DescriptionAn oil on canvas portrait of Sara Delano Roosevelt from the waist up, seated, with head and body turned partially to her proper right. She is wearing a black dress with a silver metal closure at the bust, and a reddish-brown fur stole wrapped around her body and draped over her right shoulder. Around her neck is a five-strand pearl necklace, and she is wearing pearl stud earrings in her ears. The portrait is signed by the artist in the lower right: TADÉ STYKA -. painting (on stretcher) H 40 1/4 in x W 30 in (102.2 cm x 76.2 cm )
The painting is framed in an 4" ornate carved wood frame with a gilt finish.
Historical NoteFranklin Roosevelt was Sara Delano Roosevelt’s only child. The bond between mother and son was very strong and grew even stronger after FDR’s father died in 1900.
Sara lived until 1941. After her death, Margaret Suckley, FDR’s distant cousin and close companion, observed that “she gave him that personal affection which his friends and secretaries cannot do, in the same way—He was always ‘my boy’ and he seemed to me often . . . hungry for just that kind of thing.”
In 1936, Sara commissioned this painting by artist Tade Styka as a Mother’s Day gift to her son. Styka was a portrait painter in New York who was known for his depictions of society and stage figures. FDR placed the portrait in a prominent location above a doorway in the White House Oval Study.
Additional information about this portrait, and the artist, is available at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum which is available by clicking here.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated as a bequest of Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in 1947.
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPortraits (National Archives Identifier 778816)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Fully
Copyright(c) Tadé Styka, 1934. 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.
In Collection(s)
Not on view
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