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Across America, students are lining up to
meet the President, and you can too! For
the first time in history, the National Portrait
Gallery is touring its life-sized portrait of George
Washington, the father of our country. The exhibition began in Houston, Texas, and then traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada. It now opens at the
Los Angeles County Art Museum in California.
This painting is so important to American history that it has been compared with the Liberty Bell and the Declaration of Independence.
What makes this painting so valuable? It is
worth $20 million. Why is it more important
than a photograph of President Bush today?
First, it is one of the few visual documents
we have of George Washington. In the 18th
century, photography, film, and video cameras
did not exist. Portrait painters were the most
important image-makers of Washington 's time,
capturing their subjects on canvas. The process
was time-consuming, so often the artist painted
only the face from life. Then he would ask some-
one else to pose when he painted the body.
The size of this painting is also unusual.
It is almost 8 feet high. Washington is life -
size! Painted in 1796 by artist Gilbert Stuart,
the portrait was given as a gift to the British
Marquis of Lansdowne. That 's why it's often
called the "Lansdowne "portrait.
This national tour is taking the portrait to the
people. At the Las Vegas Art Museum,15,000
students visited "George." They now wear
stickers that say, "I saw the President today."
Students in Lexington, South Carolina, hosted
the first "George Washington State Education
Day." And in Pasadena, Texas, kids even drew
their own pictures of the portrait.
Join the tour now and learn more about our first President or explore more
of our website. George Washington is eager to meet you.
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