Portrait Tour - Gallery of Governors, Floor Three
The fourteen portraits in the Gallery of Governors move clockwise in chronological order, with the oldest of the seven on the third floor level to the left. The most recent of the fourteen move in the same order on the second floor level of the rotunda.
Artist Spotlight: Roy C. Gamble
Roy C. Gamble was a well-known 20th century artist from Detroit. Along with portraiture and landscapes, he also did work in illustration and commercial art. This shows through in his stylistic approach to portraiture, as demonstrated by his work in the Capitol's collection.
Photo courtesy of the Archive of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Portrait of Governor Frank D. Fitzgerald
Governor Frank D. Fitzgerald
Roy C. Gamble (1887 - 1972)
Oil on canvas
c. 1940
This piece is representative of Gamble's typical style. His brushstrokes are visible and expressionistic throughout the portrait, particularly in Fitzgerald’s clothing and the background. The governor’s suit is outlined with a thick black line, giving the figure a graphic quality that makes him pop off the canvas. The furniture is similarly outlined, though thinner, brown lines are used; this flattens the scene slightly overall.
Portrait of Governor Frank Murphy
Portrait of Frank Murphy
Roy C. Gamble (1887 - 1972)
Oil on canvas
1949
The portrait of Governor Frank Murphy is similarly simplified, with a plain background and heavy outlines around the figure.
Though Gamble did not take commissions from the Works Progress Administration, his style is reminiscent of many WPA artists that worked contemporaneously. The immediacy of the brushstrokes throughout the piece, which create an unsettled feeling, reflect the unrest of the period in which he worked, as America emerged from the Great Depression and entered the second World War.