The Civil War and Reconstruction at the National Portrait Gallery, A Guided Tour

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC has a large collection of artwork with images of Americans from the Colonial era to the 21st century. On this tour, we’ll focus on the portraits of individuals connected to the Civil War and Reconstruction era.

The building itself was opened before the Civil War and we'll discuss how the building was used in the war effort and some of the individuals who worked and visited there. I'll also talk about the history of the Juneteenth holiday as part of the introduction.

We’ll then look at portraits of 19th century presidents and how the politics of slavery divided the nation before the war began and the post-war presidents who served in the military. There are also some paintings and sculptures dealing with themes from the war that were created during the era and we'll view those in the context of the time they were created.

The galleries on the first floor that have portraits of social, political and military figures who played important roles in the mid 19th century, including figures like Frederick Douglass, John Brown and others. And discuss events that occurred during the war itself, including the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the role of Black troops in the Union war effort. We'll end in the gallery focused on the Reconstruction era and the challenges that the country faced in the post-war years.

The tour will focus mostly on the history and biographies of Civil War era figures although I will talk about a few of the artists and the broader context of their work.

This is an in-person tour and will not be broadcast online.

This program is led by Harry Phillips, who has been leading tours in and around the Washington DC area since 2015.
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Meeting Point: I'll be near the center of the Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery (the building also houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum). I'll be wearing a red baseball cap with a white curly "W" and carrying a tan shoulder bag.

If you are running late, look for us at the meeting place where I will be doing the introduction. Our next stop will be the "America's Presidents" gallery, looking at the presidential portraits before and after Abraham Lincoln.

For those taking the Metro please check the Metro website to see where track work might be taking place.

Disclaimer: Participants are fully responsible for their own safety and not the event organizer: Washington, DC History & Culture.

There is no upfront cost to the tour, but I will accept gratuities at the conclusion.
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I look forward to seeing you!