“What are you doing for lunch today?” “Same thing I’m doing right now except with yogurt.”
Julia Marlowe, by Irving Ramsey Wiles, Oil on canvas, 1901, photo by browsermetrics
After the birthday luncheon, we wandered over to the National Portrait Gallery. It’s my first time there and I will tell you it’s an overlooked gem of a museum. It’s got a great collection of portraits from the earliest Americans to the most recent generation. It’s also got a wonderful atrium, which is now my iPhone wallpaper.
Currently, they have a display of Union Generals by renowned Civil War photographer, Matthew Brady. They are small prints from the original negatives, and they look like baseball cards. It’s nice to think about what the back of these cards would say: winning percentage – 0.756, rebels killed – 14574, errors – 4.
My favorite is the portrait above of Julia Marlowe, an actress. The relaxed position of her right arm, the look in her eyes, her leaning out toward you is arresting. It stopped me dead in my tracks, and I had to read the caption next to the portrait. That’s the power of art and a uniqueness in portraiture.
It’s a wonderful place to visit if you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the museums on the Mall.
