National Portrait Gallery
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Why go
- The Hall of Presidents, the gallery's most popular exhibit, with portraits of every American president.
- The Lansdowne portrait of George Washington, the centerpiece of the Hall of Presidents.
- The enclosed Kogod Courtyard, which has won several architecture awards.
- The cracked glass-plate portrait of Abraham Lincoln from 1865 by Alexander Gardner, his last photo before he died.
- The 2018 portraits of Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley and Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald.
Opening hours
Today11:30 – 19:00Show all
What's inside
- First floor: Edward Hopper's Cape Cod Morning (1950) and Henry Inman's Sequoyah (1830).
- Second floor: Childe Hassam's The South Ledges, Appledore (1913) and Albert Bierstadt's Among the Sierra Nevada, California (1868).
- Third floor: Mickalene Thomas's Portrait de Mnonja (2010), Henry Casselli's Cat's Cradle and Nam June Paik's Electronic Superhighway (1995).
- The collection holds over 23,000 objects in all media, from daguerreotypes to digital media.
Tips for your visit
- Free WiFi is available to visitors.
- A small café is on site.
- The gallery shares the historic Old Patent Office Building with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
- Visitors can call the gallery at +12026331000.
Know before you go
- Open every day, Monday to Sunday, from 11:30 to 19:00.
- Tickets are sold online through the gallery's own site.
Interesting facts8
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10 years
Early rules required that the person shown be historically significant and dead for at least 10 years.
National Portrait Gallery (United States) - Wikipedia -
1880
The museum acquired an 1880 self-portrait by Mary Cassatt, one of only two she painted.
National Portrait Gallery (United States) - Wikipedia -
A roundel self-portrait, one of only four by its artist, was donated by the Cafritz Foundation.
National Portrait Gallery (United States) - Wikipedia -
1928
Time magazine gave the museum 850 original portraits that had graced its covers from 1928 to 1978.
National Portrait Gallery (United States) - Wikipedia -
The museum has a daguerreotype of Frederick Douglass, one of only four known.
National Portrait Gallery (United States) - Wikipedia -
The Four Justices by Nelson Shanks shows four women judges on the country's highest court.
National Portrait Gallery (Washington) - Wikipedia -
Amy Sherald painted Michelle Obama's portrait while she was writing her memoir Becoming.
National Portrait Gallery (Washington) - Wikipedia -
Shimomura Crossing the Delaware by Roger Shimomura revisits a masterpiece by Leutze.
National Portrait Gallery (États-Unis) - Wikipedia
Shorts
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Abraham Lincoln- National Portrait Gallery (Washington D.C.)One Small Step History
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National Portrait Gallery - Washington, DCOğuz Özler
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Trump fires National Portrait Gallery's directorMS NOW
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The most BEAUTIFUL national portrait galleryJon | London & Travel Creator
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Smithsonian takes down details about President Trump's impeachments f…KREM 2 News
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See Dolley Madison Behind the Scenes at the National Portrait GallerySmithsonian
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A visit to National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC #fypシ゚viralBurmese Spidey
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The Worst Portraits In The National Portrait GalleryJ. Draper
History
During the Civil War it served as a hospital, and Clara Barton and Walt Whitman worked there as nurses. Since 1998 the gallery has commissioned presidential portraits, and since 2000 portraits of First Ladies.
- 1836–1867The Old Patent Office Building is built, with a sandstone and marble façade and porticoes modeled on the Parthenon.
- 1957A federal plan to demolish the building is reversed after public outcry.
- 1958Congress lets the Smithsonian use the building as a museum.
- 1962Congress founds the National Portrait Gallery.
- 1968The gallery opens to the public on October 7.
Show all
- 1981The gallery buys 5,419 glass negatives from the studio of Mathew Brady.
- 1998The gallery begins commissioning presidential portraits, starting with George H. W. Bush.
- 2006The first triennial portrait competition is held.
Sources: National Portrait Gallery (United States) - Wik… · Washington, D.C./East End - Wikivoyage (see) · National Portrait Gallery (Washington) - Wikipe… · National Portrait Gallery (États-Unis) - Wikipe… · National Portrait Gallery: tickets (its own sit… · National Portrait Gallery: how it describes its… · checked 25 Oct 2026
- Phone
- +12026331000
Questions and answers
What are the opening hours of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington?
The National Portrait Gallery is open seven days a week, from 11:30 to 19:00.
Where do I buy tickets for the National Portrait Gallery?
Tickets are sold online through the gallery's own website.
Where is the National Portrait Gallery in Washington?
The gallery is at 850 F St NW, in downtown Washington, just south of Chinatown. It shares the Old Patent Office Building with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Is there free WiFi at the National Portrait Gallery?
Yes, free WiFi is available to visitors, and a small café is on site.
What is the phone number of the National Portrait Gallery?
You can call the gallery at +1 202 633 1000.
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