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HENRY OSSAWA TANNER
1859-1937
My effort has been to not only put the Biblical incident in the original setting but at the
same time give the human touch "which makes the whole world kin" and which ever remains
the same.
he most distinguished African-Ameri-
T
can artist of the nineteenth century,
Henry Ossawa Tanner was also the
first artist of his race to achieve interna-
tional acclaim. Tanner was born on June
21, 1859, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to
Benjamin Tucker and Sarah Miller Tan-
ner. Tanner's father was a college-edu-
cated teacher and minister who later be-
came a bishop in the African Methodist
Episcopalian Church. Sarah Tanner was a
former slave whose mother had sent her
north to Pittsburgh through the Underground Railroad. Tanner's family moved
frequently during his early years when his father was assigned to various
churches and schools. In 1864 Tanner's family settled in Philadelphia where his
early artistic interests were developed. At age thirteen, Tanner decided to
become an artist when he saw a painter at work during a walk in Fairmount Park
near his home. Throughout his teens, Tanner painted and drew constantly in his
spare time and tried to look at art as much as possible in Philadelphia art galleries.
He also studied briefly with two of the city's minor painters.
Eager to discourage his son's interest in art, Bishop Tanner apprenticed him
to a friend to learn the milling business. For Tanner, a frail young man whose
health was never strong throughout his life, the work in the flour mill proved too
strenuous and he became seriously ill. His parents encouraged his painting
during his recuperation, and Tanner lived at home during the next few years
except for several trips to the Adirondack Mountains and Florida for his health.
In 1880, when Tanner was twenty-one, he enrolled in the prestigious Pennsyl-
vania Academy of the Fine Arts. There he studied with a group of master
professors including Thomas Eakins. It was Eakins who exerted the greatest
The Savior, ca. 1900-05,
influence on Tanner's early style. Tanner left the Pennsylvania Academy prior
oil on wood, 29 1/8 X 21 7/8 in.
to graduating to pursue the idea of combining business with art. In 1888 he
1
Fishermen at Sea, ca. 1913,
moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and established a modest photography gallery where
oil on canvas, 46 X 35 1/4 in.
he attempted to earn a semiartistic living by selling drawings, making photo-
graphs, and teaching art classes at Clark College. In spite of his combined efforts,
Tanner's Atlanta venture barely profited enough to provide living expenses.
In Atlanta, Tanner met Bishop and Mrs. Joseph Crane Hartzell, who became
his primary white patrons over the next several years. In the summer of 1888
Tanner sold his small gallery and moved to Highlands, North Carolina, in the
Blue Ridge Mountains where he hoped to study and earn a living by his
photography. He also felt that the mountains would be good for his delicate
health. While there, Tanner may have made many sketches and photographs of
the region and its African-American residents, some of which were later used as
subjects in his most important early paintings.
In the fall of 1888, Tanner returned to Atlanta and taught drawing for two
years at Clark College. After discussing his ambitions to travel abroad with
Bishop and Mrs. Hartzell, they arranged an exhibition of Tanner's works in
Cincinnati in the fall of 1890. When no paintings were sold, the Hartzells bought
the entire collection. This endowment allowed Tanner to sail for Rome in
January 1891. After brief stays in Liverpool and London, Tanner arrived in Paris.
He was so impressed by this center of art and artists that he abandoned his plans
to study in Rome.
In Paris, Tanner enrolled in the Académie Julian where the painters Jean Paul
Laurens and Jean Joseph Benjamin-Constant were among his teachers. It was
not long before he painted two of his most important works depicting African-
American subjects, The Banjo Lesson of 1893 and The Thankful Poor of 1894.
During the summers of 1892 and 1893, Tanner left Paris and lived in isolated
rural areas in Brittany. His best-known paintings from that period are The
Bagpipe Lesson of 1894 and The Young Sabot Maker of 1895. Both depict French
peasants, and Tanner assimilated the inhabitants of his rural French environ-
ment into his works as he had done previously in the mountains of Highlands,
North Carolina.
In 1895, Tanner painted Daniel in the Lion's Den, which won an honorable
mention in the Paris Salon the same year. Two years later he completed
Resurrection of Lazarus, which so impressed Rodman Wanamaker, a Philadel-
phia merchant in Paris, that he decided to finance the first of Tanner's several
trips to the Holy Land. Before leaving, Tanner sent his Resurrection of Lazarus
to the Paris Salon where it was awarded a third class medal and was purchased
by the French government for exhibition at the Luxembourg Gallery and
eventually entered the collection of the Louvre.
Spurred by his newly found acclaim, Tanner visited Philadelphia for several
months in 1893. The visit, however, convinced him that he could not fight racial
prejudice. Tanner returned to Paris and focused on painting religious subjects
and landscapes. In 1899 Tanner married Jessie Olssen, a white opera singer from
2
San Francisco, whom he had met in Paris. The couple's only child, Jesse Ossawa,
was born in New York in 1903. Their marriage may have influenced Tanner's
decision to settle permanently in France, where the family divided its time
between Paris and a farm near Étaples in Normandy.
most
During the final decades of Tanner's career he enjoyed consistent acclaim. In
1900, his 1895 painting, Daniel in the Lion's Den, was awarded a silver medal at
the Universal Exposition in Paris; the following year it received a silver medal at
the Pan American exhibition in Buffalo.
In 1908 his first one-man exhibition of religious paintings in the United States
was held at the American Art Galleries in New York. Two years later, Tanner was
elected a member of the National Academy of Design. In 1923 he was made an
honorary chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor,
and in 1927 he became a full academician of the National Academy of Design,
the first African American to receive that honor. In his later years, Tanner was
a symbol of hope and inspiration for African-American leaders and young black
artists, many of whom visited him in Paris. On May 25, 1937, Tanner died at his
home in Paris.
emplement
Ta
Funr
3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: MARSHA BERRY
OCTOBER 22, 1996
NEEL LATTIMORE
KAREN FINNEY
STEVE COHEN
202-456-2960
WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF HENRY OSSAWA TANNER
PAINTING FOR PERMANENT WHITE HOUSE COLLECTION
WASHINGTON, DC - The White House announced today the acquisition of Sand Dunes at
Sunset. Atlantic City, a painting by the renowned African-American artist Henry Ossawa
Tanner. This is the first painting by an African-American artist to be a part of the White House
permanent collection. The painting will be unveiled by the President and Mrs. Clinton at a
White House ceremony on October 29, 1996. Following the unveiling, the painting will hang
in the Green Room of the White House.
Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City 1885, oil on canvas 29-1/4 X 58-3/4 in.) is a landscape
with a "view across the cool gray of a shadowed beach to dunes made pink by the late afternoon
sunlight. A low haze over the water partially hides the sun." The painting is considered one
of Henry Tanner's largest, most artistically ambitious and most beautiful pure landscapes.
Tanner (1859 1937), the son of an African Methodist Episcopal minister and a mother who
conducted private school in her home, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied under
Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was greatly influenced by
Thomas Hovenden and by Hovenden's genre paintings of the 1880's. Although he spent over
half of his life in France where he found an expansive and more accepting environment, he
always considered himself an American. He made periodic visits to the United States and served
as a lieutenant with the American Red Cross during World War I.
In the Spring of 1994, Mrs. Clinton, Honorary Chair of the White House Endowment Fund,
and Endowment Fund trustees worked with the late Sylvia Williams, former Director of the
Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian and David Driskell, a leading expert on
African-American art, to look for a work that would be compatible with the White House
collection and would complement one of the public rooms. "The works of Henry Ossawa
Tanner remind us that talent has the power to transcend prejudice. It is a deep honor for the
President and me to honor Tanner's contributions to both African-American culture and the
cultural life of our Nation. We are so proud to add this painting to the White House permanent
collection." said Mrs. Clinton.
The painting was obtained from Dr. Rae Alexander-Minter, grandniece of the artist, by the
White House Endowment Fund for $100,000. The White House Endowment Fund is a
non-profit charity and wholly-owned subsidiary of the White House Historical Association. The
purpose of the Fund is to raise money to provide permanent support for the White House
collection of fine arts and furnishings and to preserve the historic character of the public rooms
of the White House.
###
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
REX W. SCOUTEN
WHITE HOUSE CURATOR
Rex Scouten first joined the White House staff in 1949 as a
Special Agent of the United States Secret Service during
President Harry Truman's tenure. He has served ten presidents
and held a variety of consecutive positions including Secret
Service Agent, Deputy to the Chief Usher and Assistant Regional
Director for White House Liaison with the National Park Service.
In 1969, he became Chief Usher, a position he held until
1986 when he briefly retired after 37 years of public service.
At that time he was presented with the President's Award for
Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by President Reagan in an
Oval Office ceremony. He returned to the White House at the
request of President Reagan in 1986 as Curator. In this present
position, Mr. Scouten is responsible for the White House
collection of fine and decorative arts and the continuing
research on the history and furnishings of the Executive
Residence.
Scouten was born on a farm near Snover, a rural community in
Michigan's thumb with a population of 250. He served in the
military during World War II, spending his 19th birthday in North
Africa, 20th in Italy and 21st in Germany. Following his
discharge he returned to college and was graduated from Michigan
State University with a degree in Business and Public Service and
was recruited by the United States Secret Service.
While assigned to President Truman's detail, Scouten was
entering the White House's West Wing when the alarm came about
the assassination attempt against President Truman by two Puerto
Rican nationalists. Within minutes he was across the street at
Blair House. During his assignment with then Vice-President
Nixon, he traveled to forty countries. As Deputy to the Chief
Usher, he was on duty when President Eisenhower suffered his
slight stroke. During the Kennedy administration he assisted
Jacqueline Kennedy with the now legendary dinner for Pakistani
President Ayub Kahn held at Mount Vernon. Scouten was
supervising the redecoration of the Oval Office when word came
that President Kennedy had been shot. He put the office back in
order later that evening and helped make arrangements for the
state funeral and for the visiting world leaders. He did not
leave the White House for five days during this period. As
Assistant Regional Director for White House Liaison, he made
significant contributions to Lady Bird Johnson's beautification
program and strengthened the National Park Service's role in
historic preservation and interpretation at the White House.
During his tenure as Chief Usher, the most elaborate dinner
of modern times was given by the Nixon's to celebrate the return
of Vietnam POW's. Nearly fourteen hundred people attended the
party on the South Lawn and Scouten's crew laid out forty
thousand items for table settings alone. In the Ford
administration, Scouten played a role in the numerous state
visits honoring our nation's two hundredth birthday. When
President Carter restricted his public appearances because of the
American hostage crisis in Iran, he helped bring the country to
President Carter. There were 377 public events in the White
House that year, the most in history. Scouten was in the White
House Solarium with Mrs. Reagan when a Secret Service agent
hurried in and he heard the dreaded words for the second time -
"The President has been shot".
Throughout his career he has traveled to over forty five
countries, planned and supervised major ceremonies of state, in
happy times and sad, and carefully watched over the development
of the formal gardens and grounds of the White House as well as
the preservation of the residence and work place of the President
of the United States. In his present post as Curator, Scouten
provides continuity, experience and affection to the everyday
life of the White House.
Scouten's awards include: The President's Award for
Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, The George McAneny Award,
American Historical Preservation Society. He is an honorary
member of the American Institute of Architects, Regent Emeritus
of the American Architectural Foundation, a twenty five year
member of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House,
a board member of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing
Arts, the Association of Former Agents of the United States
Secret Service, Historic Fairfax City, Inc., and the Very Special
Arts Gallery Advisory Board.
In his lectures, Rex Scouten enjoys presenting the rich
architecture, design and history of the White House and its
collection of fine and decorative art to audiences around the
world. When queried about plans of retirement he comments, "The
White House is the most exciting place in the world. When I no
longer get a thrill when I walk through those gates in the
morning, I will know it is time to leave."
DAVID DRISKELL
TEL No. 3012770729
Oct 23,96 13:17 No.004 P.03
DAVID C. DRISKELL
Career Summary Statement
David C. Driskell was born in Eatonton, Georgia in 1931. Education in the public schools of
North Carolina, he received his undergraduate degree in art at Howard University and a
Master of Fine Arts degree from the Catholic University of America, both in Washington,
D.C. He pursued post-graduate study in Art History at The Netherlands Institute for the
History of Art in the Hague and has studied independently, African and African American
cultures in Europe, Africa and South America. He has been the recipient of numcrous
fellowships, among them: three Rockefeller Foundation Fellowships, a Danforth Foundation
Fellowship and a Harmon Foundation Fellowship. A one year fellowship was awarded
Driskell in the form of a Faculty Research Grant from the College of Arts and Humanities at
the University of Maryland in 1984. In 1995, Driskell received the title Distinguished
University Professor of An at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Driskell began his teaching career at Talladega College in 1955. Hc has taught at Howard
and Fisk Universities and served as Visiting Professor of Art at Bowdoin College, The
University of Michigan, Queens College and Obafemi Awolowo University (previously the
University of Ife) in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, West Africa. Hc joined the faculty of the Department of
Art at the University of Maryland in 1977 and served as its Chairman from 1978-1983.
Since 1983, he has maintained an active career in the arts as a teacher, administrator and
consultant while continuing to paint and teach at the University of Maryland. He serves on
the boards of several nationally known art institutions such as the Skowhegan School of
Painting & Sculpture, The American Fedcration of Arts, The Cosby Foundation Scholarship
Advisory Committee, the Commissioners of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African
Art and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Highly regarded as an artist and a scholar, Driskell is cited as one of the world's leading
authorities on the subject of African American An. He is also the recipient of eight honorary
doctoral degrees in art. Ile has contributed significantly to scholarships in the history of art
on the role of the Black artist in American society. authored five exhibition books on the
subject, co-authored four others and published more than thirty-five catalogues from
exhibitions he has curated. His articles and essays on the subject of African American an are
extensive having appeared in more than twenty major publications throughout the world. He
is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award in Art from Howard University in 1981
and The Catholic University of America in 1996.
1
DAVID DRISKELL
TEL No. 3012770729
Oct 23,96 13:17 No.004 P.04
Driskell has lectured in the United States at the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Dallas Museum of Art, The
Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Brooklyn Muscum. The Art Institute of Chicago, Harvard
University, Howard University, the University of Michigan. Spelman College, Harvard
University, Haverford College, the University of California at Berkeley and many other
colleges, universities and muscums in North America, Europe, Africa and South America. Ilis
most recent creative project is the execution of 65 stained glass windows for newly renovated
DeForest Chapel on the campus of Talladega College in Alabama. The windows were
installed in the spring of 1996.
Ile is no stranger to television having seven films to his credit on the subject of African
American Art. He has appeared on NBC's The Today Show, CBS's In The News, PBS and on
television in ten foreign countries. In 1977, Driskell was commissioned by CBS Television to
write the script for an hour long television program on African American art which he
narrated before camera entitled Hidden Heritage. It won a CBS award and appeared three
consecutive years on national television after its initial airing in 1977.
In 1989 the Arts Council of Great Britain funded a one hour documentary film which
highlights the contributions Driskell has made to the interpretation of African American art
history. CUE Films of London produced the documentary Hidden Heritage: The Roots of
Black American Painting for British Television (Channel 4). It premiered at the Princess
Anne Theater, at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London on November 8.
1990 to the acclaim of an audience comprised of art enthusiasts from four continents.
Before coming to the University of Maryland in 1977, Driskell chaired the Department of An
at Fisk University from 1966-1976. In 1976, he curated the Bicentennial Exhibition for the
Los Angeles County Museum of An entitled Two Centuries of Black American Art; 1750-
1950. The exhibition was accompanied by a text by the same name published by Alfred
Knoff. 1976. Other exhibitions and accompanying books include Hidden Heritage: Afro-
American Art, 1800-1950; Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America. Abrams, 1987;
Contemporary Visual Expressions, Smithsonian Press, 1987 and African American Visual
Aesthetics: A Post Modernist View, 1995. Smithsonian Press.
Since 1977, Driskell has served as cultural advisor to Camille and Bill Cosby and curator of
the Cosby Collection of Fine Arts.
David Driskell and his wifc, Thelma, maintain residences in Hyattsville. Maryland, Falmouth,
Maine and New York City.
2
To:-1-202-456-6244 From: (718) 672-1279
Date: 10/23/96 Time: 9:55:26 AM
Page 2 of 2
THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
RUTGERS
Paul Robeson Cultural Center
Bartholomew Road
P.O. Box 1179
Piscataway
New Jersey 08855-1179
908/445-3545
FAX: 908/445-3151
Profile of Rae Alexander-Minter
Dr. Rae Alexander-Minter has served as Director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Rutgers University
since 1993. She provides leadership, vision and support for more than 5,000 Black students through cultural
programs and educational opportunities that broaden understanding of the African Diaspora in the university
and among diverse communities of New Jerscy. She also guides the Center's efforts to document and preserve
records of African peoples' influence on the artistic, scientific, social and political history of New Jersey and the
Americas. In 1995, she initiated a five-year project to celebrate the centennial of Paul Robeson's birth (1898):
the multi-media exhibit and series of public programs will tour seven major urban centers in the U.S. and abroad
from 1998-2000, and will reconsider the ways history has judged the life and accomplishments of this artist and
activist, intellectual and athlete. Before coming to Rutgers, Dr. Alexander-Minter served as Director of Public
Programs and Education for The New York Historical Society, where she initiated a series of highly-acclaimed
public programs reflecting the rich cultural diversity of the City.
Dr. Alexander-Minter's training and experience as a scholar, educator, exhibition curator and developer of
museum- and community-based public humanities and arts programming spans over twenty years. Her research
on Henry Ossawa Tanner-important African American artist of the 19th century-inspired a national tour of
the artist's work to major museums in 1991-92. The exhibit was accompanied by an extensive catalog that
documents his ocuvre and re-focuscs attention on its significance in Amcrican art history (Rizzoli, Philadclphia
Museum of Art, 1991). Dr. Alexander-Minter wrote an essay-memoir, "The Tanner Family: A Grandniece's
Chronicle," for the well-reviewed book, and conducted a ten-city speaking tour of the U.S. (1991-96), where
her appearances on radio and television generated new interest in Tanner and the important contributions of
African Americans to American and European art history.
Her contributions to scholarship on African-Amcrican culture and cducation include landmark studics of women
graduates of the Hawthorne School in Washington, D.C. and of a 200 year old community in northeast
Philadelphia. She has also conducted a longitudinal study of mathematical and scientific reasoning among
African American high school students and developed language arts curricula in African American culture. Her
book-length publications include Children's Books and the Search for Black Identity, Books for Children (an
annotated critical bibliography), What is a Racist Book?, and Young and Black in America (editor). A frequent
invited lecturer and broadcast interviewee, she speaks to diverse audiences on African American history and
culture, and public and community cducation.
Dr. Alexander-Minter holds the doctorate in anthropology and education from the University of Pennsylvania
(1981), the M.A. in early childhood education and child development from Bank Street College of Education
(1971), and the B.A. in journalism and political theory from Boston University (1964). She is a fellow of the
American Anthropological Association and the Institute for Education Leadership at George Washington
University.
HENRY OSSAWA (OSS-a-wah) TANNER Q & A's
Why has it taken so long for the White House to
acquire a painting by an African American artist?
Acquisitions to the permanent collection are purchased through
private donations. This is not federally funded. Money has to be
raised. We got what we could get when we could get it. Paintings
are very expensive, and African American art pieces are not
readily available with many of them in private collections or
in galleries and museums not willing to part with them.
Why now?
Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City was the centerpiece
of a traveling show on Tanner's work. We did not want to
disrupt the show by removing what was considered the most
important piece in the collection. When we did receive
it some restoration work had to be done on the frame
and then it was difficult to find a time on both the President
and First Lady's schedules to host a proper presentation
of the painting to the American public.
Isn't this a political move to attract African American
voters?
No, this is an historic occasion to be celebrated by all
Americans. The White House is the first house of the nation,
and should reflect the diversity that makes us great.
We have been looking for the appropriate painting for two
years, once we learned that there was not an African
American artist represented in the permanent collection.
And we didn't know that right away because so much of the
collection is in storage. Once we realized the need, a search
began.
Why Tanner?
Henry Tanner was selected because he is considered to be the most
distinguished African-American artist of this century, and was
the first African American artist to achieve international
acclaim.
Why a landscape instead of a portrait that shows
African Americans?
It is very difficult to acquire Tanner paintings. They are in
galleries or owned by private collectors unwilling to
part with them. Many of the well known pieces portraying African
Americans, such as The Banjo Lesson or The Thankful Poor are
unavailable. Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City is considered
one of Henry Tanner's largest, most artistically ambitious
and most beautiful pure landscapes.
How much was the painting?
The painting was obtained from Dr. Rae Alexander-Minter,
grandniece of the artist, by the White House Endowment
Fund for $100,000.
What was the process?
Edward Bell, a citizen who toured the White House, corresponded
with the President about the omission of an African American
artist in the White House. The President directed Mrs. Clinton
who is Honorary Chair of the Committee of the Preservation of the
White House and the White House Curator, Rex Scouten to focus
their attention on adding to the collection. Scouten, assisted
by the late Sylvia Williams, Director of the Museum of African
Art for the Smithsonian, and Professor David Driskell, a renown
expert on African-American art, began the search for the right
piece to add to the White House permanent collection.
After nearly 9 months, the search committee presented its
selection to the committee for the Preservation of the White
House, of which Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton is the Honorary
Chair. The selection was unanimously approved by the committee.
Shortly after, the White House Endowment fund approved the
funding and purchased the painting for $100,000. Although
purchased in early Spring of this year, the White House
didn't receive the painting right away because it was the
centerpiece of a traveling exhibit.
For Official Government Use Only
President's List
TANNER PAINTING UNVEILING RECEPTION - Tuesday OCT 29 1996 - 6:00 PM State Floor - Business -
East Visitors Entrance
For Official Government Use Only
Page 1
THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:40 PM
Accepts and No Responses
Mr. Henry "Hank" Aaron
The Atlanta Braves
Atlanta, GA
Rev. Charles G. Adams
Past President, Progressive National Baptist Convention
Washington, DC
A
Hon. Jane Alexander
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
Washington, DC
Guest: Mr. Alexander D. Crary
Dr. Maya Angelou
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
A
Reverend Wendell Anthony
Fellowship Chapel
Detroit, MI
Ms. Jeanne Ashe-Moutoussamy
New York, NY
A
Mrs. Norma Ketay Asnes
New York, NY
Mr. Edward J. Babb
Barnes, McGhee, Seque & Harper
New York, NY
A
Dr. Leon Banks
Los Angeles, CA
Ms. Paula A. Banks
President & Executive Director, The Sears-Roebuck Foundation
Hoffman Estates, IL
Mr. Don H. Barden
President, Barden Communications, Incorporated
Detroit, MI
A
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bell
New Paltz, NY
A
Dr. Tritobia Hay Benjamin
Associate Dean of Fine Arts, Howard University
Washington, DC
Mr. Lerone Bennett
Executive Editor, Ebony Magazine
Chicago, IL
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 2
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:40 PM
Accepts and No Responses
Dr. and Mrs. John Biggers
Houston, TX
Mr. Julian Bond
America's Black Forum
Washington, DC
Mr. AI Boute
Pesident, Independence Bank of Chicago
Chicago, IL
A
Dr. Alex Boyd
President, Black Caucus of the American Library Association
Newark, NJ
Mr. U. Lawrence Boze
President, National Bar Association
Houston, TX
Hon. John Brademas
President Emeritus, New York University
New York, NY
A
Mr. Robert L. Breeden
Chairman of the Board, White House Historical Association
Mr. Frank Brooks
President, Brooks Sausage Company, Inc.
Kenosha, WI
A
Ms. Elizabeth Broun
Director, National Museum of American Art
Washington, DC
Mrs. Alma Brown
Washington, DC
Mr. Bob Brown
B & C Associates
High Point, NC
A
Hon. J. Carter Brown
Chairman, Commission of Fine Arts
Washington, DC
Hon. Jesse Brown
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs
A
Ms. Mary A. Brown
Washington, DC
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 3
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:40 PM
Accepts and No Responses
Mr. Michael Brown
President, Ki Technology, Inc.
Washington, DC
A
Mr. Raymond Alexander Brown
Washington, DC
A
Mrs. Edith Buffalow and Mr. Sidney Buffalow
Ramee Gallery
Washington, DC
Mr. Thomas J. Burrell
Burrell Communications Group
Chicago, IL
A
Mr. Samuel A. Carradine
Executive Director, National Association of Minority Contractors
Washington, DC
A
Ms. Cheri Carter
The White House, Office of Public Liaison
Washington, DC
A
Mrs. Marion "Oatsie" Charles
Washington, DC
A
Ms. Gabriella Coleman
President, The Prudential Foundation
Newark, NJ
A
Mr. George Curry
Editor, Emerge Magazine
Washington, DC
A
Rev. William A. Davidson
Christ Church Riverdale
Riverdale, NY
A
Ms. Leslie Tanner Moore Derby
Philadelphia, PA
A
Dr. and Mrs. David Driskell
Hyattsville, MD
A
Mr. Ofield Dukes
President, Ofield Dukes and Associates
Washington, DC
A
Dr. Ramona Edelin
President & CEO, National Urban Coalition
Washington, DC
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 4
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:40 PM
Accepts and No Responses
Mr. Kenneth Edmonds
C/o Hervey & Company
Los Angeles, CA
Ms. Eva Evans
Supreme Basileus, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
Lansing, MI
. A
Dr. and Mrs. Walter O. Evans
Detroit, MI
A
Ms. Myrlie Evers-Williams
Chair, NAACP
Baltimore, MD .
A
Dr. and Mrs. Alan Fern
Director, National Portrait Gallery
Washington, DC
Ms. Tina Flournoy
DNC Trustee, Philip Morris Management Corporation
New York, NY
A
Mrs. Nancy "Bitsy" M. Folger
Chairman, Board of Directors, The White House Endowment Fund
A
Dr. Kenneth A. Forde and Mr. Kareitha Forde
Dobbs Ferry, NY
A
Ms. Marcia Fudge
President, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Washington, DC
A
Dr. and Mrs. William Funderburk
Washington, DC
Mr. Willie E. Gary
Senior Partner, Gary, Williams & Parenti
Stuart, FL
-
A
Ms. Charlene Hunter Gault
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Arlington, VA
Mr. Sam Gilliam
Artist
Washington, DC
A
Mr. William Granville
National Chairman & CEO, Granville Academy
Trenton, NJ
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 5
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:41 PM
Accepts and No Responses
A
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Green
Managing Director, Lehman Brothers
Washington, DC
Mr. Richard Griffey
Chairman, Solar Records
Hollywood, CA
Mr. Bryant Gumbel
The Today Show
New York, NY
A
Mr. and Mrs. Selvin Gumbs
Tinton Falls, NJ
Mr. Andre Harrell
President & CEO, Motown Records
Los Angeles, CA
Mr. Robert Harris
Grand Polemarch, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
A
Mr. and Mrs. George B. Hartzog
McLean, VA
A
Hon. Alexis M. Herman
Assistant to the President & Director of Public Liaison, White House
A
Hon. Michael Heyman
Secretary, Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC
A
Dr. James K. Hill
Retirees Association of Howard University
Mr. Jesse Hill
Chairman, Atlanta Life Insurance Company
Atlanta, GA
A
Mr. Neil W. Horstman
Administrator, White House Endowment Fund
Washington, DC
A
Hon. (Rep.) Sheila Jackson-Lee
D/Texas, House of Representatives
Washington, DC
A
Hon. Charlene Drew Jarvis
Washington, DC City Council
Washington, DC
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 6
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:41 PM
Accepts and No Responses
A
Mrs. Addie Collins Johnson
Sharon, MA
A
Hon. James Johnson
Asst. Sec. Enforcement, Department of the Treasury
Washington, DC
A
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Johnson
Washington, DC
\
A
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Johnson
President & CEO, Black Entertainment Television
Washington, DC
Mr. Robert B. Johnson sub
Office of Public Liaison
Mr. Christaan Julius and Dr. Elizabeth Higashi Julius
A
Mrs. Harriet O. Kelley
The Harmon & Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art
San Antonio, TX
A
Ms. June Kelly
Director, The June Kelly Gallery
New York, NY
A
Dr. Anne Marie Keyes
New York, NY
A
Ms. Holly Laffoon
National Museum of African Art
Washington, DC
A
Mrs. Dorothy Leavell
President, National Newspaper Publishers Assn.
Washington, DC
A
Mr. and Mrs. Forrester A. Lee
Claymont, DE
A
Mr. David C. Levy
Director, Corcoran Gallery of Art
Washington, DC
A
-
Mr. and Mrs. Jay Levy
Black Radio Network
New York, NY
A
Ms. Peggy Lewis
Office of the First Lady, The White House
Washington, DC
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 7
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:41 PM
Accepts and No Responses
A
Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Lewis
Washington, DC
A
Mrs. Virginia Brown Lewis (Spouse of: Ronald Lewis)
A
Mr. Aaron Lewis (Guest of: Ronald Lewis)
A
Miss Cameron Lewis (Guest of: Ronald Lewis)
A
Miss Nicole Lewis (Guest of: Ronald Lewis)
Mr. Stephen C. Lewis
President, National Black MBA Association, Inc.
Chicago, IL
A
Hon. Evelyn S. Lieberman
Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff, The White House
A
Hon. Gordon J. Linton
Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation
Washington, DC
A
Dr. Catherine Lowe
West Palm Beach, FL
A
Mr. William Lucy
President, AMerican Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Washington, DC
A
Mr. Richard L. Mays
Partner, Mays & Crutcher Law Offices
Little Rock, AR
Hon. Floydetta McAfee
Special Assistant to the President, Public Liaison
A
Mr. Colman McCarthy
The Washington Post
Washington, DC
A
Ms. Ellen McCulloch-Lovell
Executive Director, President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
Washington, DC
A
Mr. James I. McDaniel
Associate Regional Director & White House Liaison, National Park Service National Capital Region
Washington, DC
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 8
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:41 PM
Accepts and No Responses
A
Mrs. Donna Kay McLarty
Mr. Michel McQueen
White House Correspondent, Wall Street Journal
Washington, DC
A
Mr. Courtland Milloy
Columnist, The Washington Post
Washington, DC
A
Honorable Cheryl D. Mills
Associate Counsel to the President, Office of White House Counsel
Washington D.C.
A
Dr. Thomas K. Minter and Dr. Rae Alexander-Minter
Riverdale, NY
A
Dr. and Mrs. William Arthur Minter
Guilford, CT
A
Mr. Lewis Tanner Moore and Ms. Judy Heggestad
Warrington, PA
A
Ms. Minyon Moore
Political Director, Democratic National Committee
Washington, DC
A
Mr. Richard B. Moore
Philadelphia, PA
Ms. Thelma Moore
President, National Association of Black County Officials
Washington, DC
A
Dr. Dewey F. Mosby
Hamilton, NY
Guest: Ms. Rebekah Presson
Hon. Bob J. Nash
Assistant to the President & Director of Presidential Personnel, The White House
Washington, DC
A
Ms. Michele Norris
ABC News
Washington, DC
Hon. Leon E. Panetta
Chief of Staff to the President, The White House
Washington, DC
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 9
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:41 PM
Accepts and No Responses
A
Hon. Deval L. Patrick
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Department of Justice
Washington, DC
Hon. (Rep.) Donald M. Payne
D/New Jersey, House of Representatives
Washington, DC
Hon. (Sen.) Claiborne Pell
D/Rhode Island, United States Senate
Washington, DC
A
Dr. Lois Jones Pierre-Noel
Washington, DC
A
Dr. Richard Powell and Mrs. C.T. Woods-Powell
Professor of Art & History, Duke University
A
Ms. Mary Puryear
Manager, The Prudential Foundation
Newark, NJ
Hon. Franklin D. Raines
Director, Office of Management & Budget
Hon. Dwight P. Robinson
Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Washington, DC
A
Mr. William D. Rollnick and Ms. Nancy Ellison
Miami, FL
Ms. Ingrid Saunders-Jones
Vice President, The Coca-Cola Company
Atlanta, GA
Mrs. Cynthia Schneider
Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Dr. Joseph J. Seneca
Vice President of Academic Affairs, Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ
A
Mr. Darrel Sewell
The Robert L. McNeil Jr. Curator of American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia, PA
Dr. Ronald Sharps
Director, Benjamin Banneker Museum
Annapolis, MD
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 10
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:41 PM
Accepts and No Responses
Ms. Ann Elizabeth Sheffer
President's Committe on the Arts and the Humanities
A
Mr. Hugh Sidey
Contributing Editor, Time Magazine
Washington, DC
Hon. Leonard L. Silverstein
Silverstein and Mullens
Washington, DC
Honorable Rodney E. Slater
Federal Highway Adms, Department of Transportation
Washington, DC
Mr. Sidney Small
Chairman, American Urban Network
New York, NY
A
Mr. Clarence O. Smith
President, Essence Communications
New York, NY
Mr. Wayman F. Smith
Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Anheuser Busch Companies, Inc.
St. Louis, MO
Dr. Rowena Stewart
Director, African-American Historical & Cultural Museum
Philadelphia, PA
A
Mr. and Mrs. Lou Stovall
Washington, DC
A
Mrs. Joy Carter Sundlun
Washington, DC
A
M. Jacques Tanner and Mme. Chantal Tanner
A
Ms. Florence Tate
Washington, DC
A
Ms. Sandra E. Taylor
Director, Public Affairs, Eastman Kodak Company
Washington, DC
Ms. Susan P. Thomases
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
New York, NY
For Official Government Use Only
For Official Government Use Only
Page 11
REPORT DATE: October 25, 1996
REPORT TIME: 3:41 PM
Accepts and No Responses
A
Mr. Thurlow Evans Tibbs
Washington, DC
A
Ms. Isabella Tanner Treece
Columbus, OH
A
Hon. Ann F. Walker
Special Assistant to the President and Director of Research, The White House
Washington, DC
A
Mr. and Mrs. Milton Washington
Pittsburgh, PA
A
Hon. Togo D. West
Secretary of the Army, Department of Defense
Ms. Marty Wikstrom
Vice President & General Manager, Nordstrom
McLean, VA
Mr. Carl Williams
Vice President, Information Technology, Amoco Corporation
Chicago, IL
A
Mr. Charlton Williams
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC
A
Hon. Margaret (Maggie) A. Williams
Assistant to the President & Chief of Staff to the First Lady, The White House
Ms. Deborah Willis
Board Member, CAA
Washington DC, DC
Ms. Oprah Winfrey
c/o Deborah Hermelee, Harpo Entertainment
Chicago, IL
For Official Government Use Only
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THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
WHITE HOUSE ACQUISITIONS
William J. Clinton Administration
January 20, 1993 - Present
FINE ARTS - Paintings
HERBERT E. ABRAMS, 1921-
Barbara Pierce Bush (Mrs. George Bush); oil on canvas, 1994,
38 X 31 7/8 in.
Gift of Robert E. and Elizabeth W. Krueger.
995.1753.1
HERBERT E. ABRAMS, 1921-
George Herbert Walker Bush; oil on canvas, 1994,
50 1/4 X 40 1/8 in.
Gift of Robert E. and Elizabeth W. Krueger.
995.1752.1
WILLIAM FRANKLIN DRAPER, 1912-
John F. Kennedy; oil on canvas, 1962, 30 x 25 1/16 in.
Gift of the White House Historical Association.
996.1764.1
CHILDE HASSAM, 1859-1935.
Seascape; oil on canvas, 1900, 18 3/16 X 22 in.
Bequest of Alice Tully.
996.1768.1
CHILDE HASSAM, 1859-1935.
Street Scene in Winter (Snowstorm, New York);
oil on canvas, 1901, 16 1/2 X 12 1/2 in.
Bequest of Alice Tully.
996.1767.1
WILLIAM HENRY POWELL (attributed), 1823 (?) -1879.
Emigrant Scene; oil on canvas, c.1837, 37 X 61 in.
Gift of the White House Historical Association.
995.1745.1
NORMAN ROCKWELL, 1894-1978.
Statue of Liberty; oil on panel, 1946, 21 1/2 X 16 15/16 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Steven A. Spielberg - S.A.M. Trust.
994.1742.1
GILBERT STUART, 1755-1828.
Dolley Payne Todd Madison (Mrs. James Madison);
oil on canvas, 1804, 29 3/16 x 24 1/8 in.
Gift of the White House Historical Association.
994.1737.1
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003
10-24-1996 10:48AM FROM EXEC. RES. CURATORS 2024566820
P.3
HENRY OSSAWA TANNER, 1859-1937.
Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City; oil on canvas, c.1885,
30 1/8 x 59 1/2 in.
Gift of the White House Endowment Fund.
995.1759.1
GUY C. WIGGINS, 1883-1962.
The White House in Spring; oil on canvas, c.1940,
24 1/2 X 29 1/2 in.
White House Acquisition Fund.
996.1762.1
ELLEN AXSON WILSON (Mrs. Woodrow Wilson), 1860-1914.
Princeton Landscape; oil on canvas, c.1913, 12 x 16 in.
Gift of Eleanor Axson Sayre.
995.1758.1
The White House Endoument Fund
WHITE HOUSE ENDOWMENT FUND ACQUIRES HENRY OSSAWA TANNER PAINTING
The White House Endowment Fund has acquired Sand Dunes at
Sunset, Atlantic City, a painting by the noted African-American
artist Henry Ossawa Tanner. This is the first painting by an
African-American artist to be a part of the White House permanent
collection.
Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City (c. 1885, oil on canvas,
29-1/4 X 58-3/4 inches) is a landscape with a "view across the
cool gray of a shadowed beach to dunes made pink by the late
afternoon sunlight. A low haze over the water partially hides
the sun." The painting is considered one of Henry Tanner's
largest, most artistically ambitious and most beautiful pure
landscapes.
Tanner (1859-1937), the son of an African Methodist
Episcopal minister and a mother who conducted private school in
her home, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied under
Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was
greatly influenced by Thomas Hovenden and by Hovenden's genre
paintings of the 1880's. Although he spent over half of his life
in France where he found an expansive and more accepting
environment, he always considered himself an American. He made
periodic visits to the United States and served as a lieutenant
with the American Red Cross during World War I.
Mrs. Clinton expressed interest in including a painting by
an African-American artist in the White House collection. Her
740 JACKSON PLACE, NW
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20503
202/789-1145
FAX 202/789-0440
The White House Endoument Fund
2
interest resulted in a recommendation by the Committee for the
Preservation of the White House to purchase Sand Dunes at Sunset,
Atlantic City. The painting was obtained from Dr. Rae Alexander-
Minter, grandniece of the artist, by the White House Endowment
Fund for $100,000. The White House Endowment Fund is a non-
profit charity and wholly-owned subsidiary of the White House
Historical Association. The purpose of the Fund is to raise a
$25 million endowment to provide permanent support for the White
House collection of fine arts and furnishings and to preserve the
historic character of the public rooms of the White House.
Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City, is presently on
exhibition at the Terra Museum of American Art in Chicago and
will be delivered to the White House at the conclusion of the
exhibition on April 28.
For additional information, please contact the White House
Curator's Office at (202) 456-2550.
#
740 JACKSON PLACE, NW
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20503
202/789-1145
FAX 202/789-0440