Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Drawn Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Artifact IDMO 2022.2
Object Type
Drawing
Artist
William Valentine Schevill
(American artist, 1864-1951)
Dateca. 1938
Mediumcomposite board, pencil, pastel (?)
Dimensionsoverall H 26 in x W 19 in (66 cm x 48.3 cm )
Physical Descriptiona) A pencil drawing, with white highlights, of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Done on composite board, the portrait shows a right-facing profile image of FDR's head. To the lower right of the portrait is a handwritten pencil notation by the artist that reads: A portrait study / for our Sid and Oly / W.V.S.
b) The portrait comes with an equally sized separate composite board backer. Attached to the backer is a paper note with a handwritten ink message: This portrait of President / Franklin D. Roosevelt (circa 1938) / by William V. Schevill for Sidney / and Olita Sherwood is bequeathed / to the Roosevelt Library and Museum / at Hyde Park New York. / Sidney Sherwood [signature] / 1 February 1974. Written in black crayon below the note: X 32434 / 116.
Historical NoteCompleted circa 1938, this pencil drawing of Franklin D. Roosevelt by artist William Schevill was made for Sidney Sherwood (1901-1984), and his wife Olita. Sherwood was an economist who spent his career in government service under the administrations of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. He held positions with the Farm Credit Administration, the Treasury Department, and as secretary of the Export-Import Bank. Sherwood's sister, Jean Sherwood Harper, served as a tutor to FDR's children, Anna and Elliot, at Hyde Park for two years, and the Sherwoods' mother, Mary Beattie Sherwood of Cornwall, NY, became a longtime friend of Eleanor Roosevelt.b) The portrait comes with an equally sized separate composite board backer. Attached to the backer is a paper note with a handwritten ink message: This portrait of President / Franklin D. Roosevelt (circa 1938) / by William V. Schevill for Sidney / and Olita Sherwood is bequeathed / to the Roosevelt Library and Museum / at Hyde Park New York. / Sidney Sherwood [signature] / 1 February 1974. Written in black crayon below the note: X 32434 / 116.
The donor of this drawing, David Harper, received it from Sidney Sherwood who was his uncle.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by David Harper in 2021.
Credit LineGift of David Harper
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPortraits (National Archives Identifier 778816)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.In Collection(s)
Not on view