Portrait, Anne McMath

 
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Portrait, Anne McMath
Portrait, Anne McMath
Portrait, Anne McMath
Portrait, Anne McMath

Portrait, Anne McMath

Object number2016.050.06
Date1995
OriginArkansas
MediumOil on Linen
DimensionsFrame: 43 1/4 × 39 1/4 × 3 1/2 in. (109.9 × 99.7 × 8.9 cm) Canvas: 35 1/4 × 31 in. (89.5 × 78.7 cm)
Credit LineOld State House Museum Collection
Terms
    DescriptionA portrait of Anne McMath painted by prominent Arkansan portrait artist Betty Dortch. The portrait was commissioned by Governor Sid McMath shorty after Anne's death in 1994. Anne's daughter Patricia served as the model for the portrait, and Dortch used photographs of Anne to paint her face. Anne is depicted sitting wearing a blue dress and a long strand of pearls. Her left hand is resting on her leg and her right hand is on the armrest. A couch with two pillows and two paintings are in the background.

    Originally from Slate Spring, Mississippi, Sarah Anne Phillips attended the Mississippi State College for Women until health problems prevented her from finishing. She met Sidney Sanders McMath in Washington, D.C. during World War II through mutual friends. The couple became married on October 6, 1944. When the war was over, the McMaths moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas. When Sid McMath became governor in 1949, the McMaths became the initial First Family to occupy the home that is now known as the Governor’s Mansion. Anne McMath faced numerous challenges during her time as a First Lady. Not only did she have to manage the duties of being First Lady and preparing the new governor’s house for occupancy, she also had to raise a very young family-- the McMaths’ youngest son was born the same year Governor McMath took office!
    Status
    Not on view
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