45 x 34 in. (114.3 x 86.4 cm)
Framed: 53 1/2 x 42 x 3 in. (135.9 x 106.7 x 7.6 cm)
Accession Number
2002.007.007
Credit Line
Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
Object Details
The appearance of a dog in this and several other House portraits is not surprising, given the oft-quoted saying that “if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Here, Armed Services Committee Chairman Aspin’s frequent office companion, Junket, sits beside her owner, whose slightly rumpled appearance and sheaf of papers was as familiar a sight around the Capitol as his dog. Artist George Pollard and his son, Jim, knew Aspin well, and painted the posthumous portrait from photographs and memories of their fellow Wisconsinite.