Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Eleanor Roosevelt Portrait
Artifact IDMO 1969.23b
Object Type
Painting
Maker
Claude Potter Newell
(American, 1870 - 1930)
Date1915
Mediumwatercolor on ivory
Dimensionspainting H 6 in x W 4 1/2 in (15.2 cm x 11.4 cm )
frame H 7 3/8 in x W 5 1/8 in x D 5/8 in (18.7 cm x 13 cm x 1.6 cm )
frame H 7 3/8 in x W 5 1/8 in x D 5/8 in (18.7 cm x 13 cm x 1.6 cm )
Physical DescriptionA miniature portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt, age 31. It depicts her in a seated position on an outdoor bench of white marble. She is attired in a soft white dress with lace sleeves and a shawl collar. Draped over her shoulders is a light wrap of sheer fabric. The background shows a bit of blue sky, but is made up mainly of stippling of blue, green, and gold. The artist's signature is in the upper right: C. P. NEWELL, 1915. The painting is glazed and framed in an easel-type brass frame with a hanging loop at the top. A handwritten label adhered to the reverse of the frame reads: Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt / By C.P. Newell 1915.
Historical NoteThis portrait was painted from life in 1915 by Claude P. Newell. FDR’s mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, commissioned the portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt (along with a portrait of Franklin Roosevelt and a group portrait of the Roosevelt children—Elliott, James, and Anna) to mark Franklin and Eleanor’s tenth wedding anniversary. It is on display in the FAMILY LIFE exhibit in the Museum’s FOUNDATIONS OF A PUBLIC LIFE gallery.Additional Details
Credit LineGift of Anna Roosevelt Halsted
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)
On view
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