Object Details
Artist
Charles Banks Wilson, 1918 - 2013
Sitter
Will Rogers, 4 Nov 1879 - 15 Aug 1935
Exhibition Label
Born near Oologah, Oklahoma
Will Rogers was the child of Cherokee parents; his father was prominent in Oklahoma politics. Rogers, however, lived the life of a cowboy before discovering his gifts as a humorist, actor, and commentator on social mores and politics. Rogers’s biographer has noted that of all the myths surrounding the humorist’s phenomenal success, none conflicted with reality more than the myth of his ignorance. Rogers used his wit and intellect to entertain and to cultivate the persona of a naive cowboy who commented on and often “roasted” pretentious, self-styled sophisticates. Rogers was killed in a plane crash on August 15, 1935, at the peak of his fame as a radio and movie star and newspaper columnist.
Few portraitists captured Rogers from life. One of those was Charles Banks Wilson, who at age fifteen sketched Rogers backstage after a performance in Miami, Oklahoma. He created this painting from those sketches.
Provenance
The artist; gift to NPG 2010
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Charles Banks Wilson
Date
1933-36
Object number
NPG.2010.96
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 61 x 45.7cm (24 x 18")
Frame: 83.8 x 69.2 x 5.1cm (33 x 27 1/4 x 2")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Will Rogers: Male
Will Rogers: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Actor
Will Rogers: Social Welfare and Reform\Philanthropist
Will Rogers: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Humorist
Will Rogers: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Performer\Vaudeville performer
Will Rogers: Business and Finance\Natural resources commerce\Agriculturist\Cowboy
Will Rogers: Politics and Government\Government official\Public official\Mayor\Beverly Hills, CA
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.2010.96