57 1/8 x 42 7/8 in. (145.1 x 108.9 cm)
Framed: 65 x 50 3/4 in. (165.1 x 128.9 cm)
Accession Number
2002.007.004
Credit Line
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
Object Details
The unveiling of powerful Naval Affairs Committee Chairman Carl Vinson’s portrait was quite an event. Although during wartime, the Navy’s highest ranking officials travelled to the Capitol to pay tribute. The portrait was the work of Naval Reserve Ensign Lawrence A. Powers. It presents Vinson as a witness to and player in much of the Navy’s progress. A coal-burning battleship, plying the Atlantic waters during World War I, when Vinson first came to Congress, is visible in the background. In contrast, a model of a brand-new aircraft carrier rides at anchor atop a pile of papers, illustrating the progress Vinson oversaw.
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