President Theodore Roosevelt and “The Sargent”

It is a long standing tradition for Presidents to have an official portrait painted.

Theodore Roosevelt, President

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was a prism of a man, many sided depending on his mood or current interests. He had arguably dozens of interests, and was knowledgeable on dozens, perhaps hundreds of other subjects. The arts however, other than literature and poetry, were not high on his list. His tastes in music, theater, ballet, and the visual arts were by and large respectful, but pedestrian.

Only 42 when he became POTUS, he was at the height of his physical and mental energy. A natural scientist, a cowboy, a prolific writer with a knack for turning a memorable phrase, a strong advocate of name-a-few-causes, and an astute politician, with an additional knack for judging the characters of the people he dealt with quickly and pretty much on target. And not pedestrian.

He was also…