William McKinley
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mrs. Mary E. Krieg
Accession Number
NPG.66.11
Tags
About this artwork
The artist; purchased from his estate by (Jacob Salus, Washington, D.C.); Joseph F. Krieg, Washington; his wife Mrs. Mary E. Krieg, Washington, D.C.; gift to NPG 1966.
Art Historical Context
This striking 1899 portrait of William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, captures the Ohio native at the height of his political career. Painted by Charles Ayer Whipple, a Washington, D.C.-based artist known for his detailed likenesses, the work depicts McKinley in a setting evoking his multifaceted life: a teacher, lawyer, Civil War captain in the Union Army, and leader of the nation. Elements like a desk, books, and documents symbolize his intellectual and professional gravitas, rendered in the realistic style of late 19th-century American portraiture. Completed just two ye...