Object Details
Artist
Ernest Hamlin Baker, 1889 - 1975
Sitter
Asa Philip Randolph, 15 Apr 1889 - 16 Mar 1979
Exhibition Label
SJ03 Author: AMS
A. Philip Randolph 1889–1979
Born Crescent City, Florida
Civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph waged a lifelong battle for the economic empowerment of African Americans. This portrait alludes to the work he began in 1925 organizing the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters—the first Black labor union chartered by the American Federation of Labor. Continuing his advocacy for African American workers, Randolph called for a march on Washington in 1941 to protest the exclusion of Black people from defense industry jobs. He canceled that march only after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an order mandating an end to discriminatory practices by government contractors.
Following World War II, Randolph led the effort to desegregate the nation’s armed forces and sustained a civil disobedience campaign against the draft until President Harry Truman ordered an end to segregation in the military in 1948. Randolph capped his activist career in 1963 by helping to organize the celebrated March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Ernest Hamlin Baker (1889–1975)
Watercolor and gouache, c. 1945
NPG.96.TC5
A. Philip Randolph 1889–1979
Nacido en Crescent City, Florida
A. Philip Randolph, activista pro derechos civiles, luchó toda su vida por el empoderamiento económico de los afroamericanos. Este retrato alude a la labor que inició en 1925 organizando la Hermandad de Maleteros de Coches-Cama, primer sindicato negro reconocido por la Federación Estadounidense del Trabajo. En 1941 convocó una marcha a Washington para protestar por la exclusión de las personas negras en los empleos de la industria de la defensa. Solo la canceló cuando Franklin D. Roosevelt firmó la orden que prohibía las prácticas discriminatorias a los contratistas del gobierno.
Tras la 2a Guerra Mundial, Randolph lideró la lucha por eliminar la segregación en las fuerzas armadas y condujo una campaña de desobediencia civil contra el servicio obligatorio hasta que el presidente Harry Truman ordenó el fin de la segregación en el ejército en 1948. Randolph coronó su carrera en 1963 ayudando a organizar la histórica Marcha a Washington por el Trabajo y la Libertad.
Collection Description
In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
c. 1945
Object number
NPG.96.TC5
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Watercolor and gouache on illustration board
Dimensions
Image: 25.9 x 23.2cm (10 3/16 x 9 1/8")
Sheet: 28.9 x 26cm (11 3/8 x 10 1/4")
Mat: 55.9 x 40.6cm (22 x 16")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Bed
Equipment\Ladder
Interior\Vehicle\Train
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
Asa Philip Randolph: Male
Asa Philip Randolph: Arts and Culture\Journalism and Media\Magazine publisher
Asa Philip Randolph: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Actor
Asa Philip Randolph: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Labor leader
Asa Philip Randolph: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Social reformer\Civil rights activist
Asa Philip Randolph: Civilian awards\Presidential Medal of Freedom
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.96.TC5