Many artists and sitters in the House Collection share a home state, and this portrait is no exception. South Carolinian L. Mendel Rivers chose Lenhardt, a prominent Charleston artist and teacher at The Citadel. The artist’s association with military education likely also played a role in his choice to commemorate a Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Before settling in Charleston, Lenhardt studied at several New York schools, including the Art Students League, and associated himself with the styles of Robert Henri and Charles Duveneck.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “Lucius Mendel Rivers,” https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2002/2002-007-001/ (June 26, 2022)
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