This oil painting shows Jane Mathilda Bolin, an African American woman in her mid-thirties, seated in left profile but turning her head to meet our gaze. Bolin was the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School (1931) and, in 1939, the first Black woman appointed to a judgeship in the United States, sworn in by New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia. American artist Betsy Graves Reyneau traveled to New York in January 1944 to paint her, choosing professionalism with clasped hands, a turned body, and a gaze that refuses to soften. Her medium-deep brown skin is modeled with warm tans and cool shadows, emphasizing a focused, slightly furrowed expression that’s calm, guarded, and resolute. Bolin’s dark hair is swept up and back in soft rolls. She wears a vivid crimson coat with a high, turned collar and broad lapel. Its saturated red dominates the composition and catches subtle highlights along the sleeve and shoulder to become a declaration of visibility like authority made present, on her own terms. Her hands rest together in her lap, fingers interlaced, with neatly painted red nails. A wedding band and a wristwatch feel like practical jewelry. Behind her, a flat, deep teal background creates a stage-like stillness that pushes her figure forward. Light falls from the left, brightening her forehead and cheekbone, while the far side of her face recedes into cooler tones. No props interrupt our encounter do authority is carried in posture, restraint, and presence. Reyneau painted this portrait in 1944 for the Harmon Foundation’s exhibition “Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin,” which opened at the Smithsonian in 1944 and toured for a decade to counter racist stereotypes.

“Jane Mathilda Bolin” by Betsy Graves Reyneau (American) - Oil on canvas / 1944 - National Portrait Gallery (Washington, DC) #WomenInArt #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #BetsyGravesReyneau #BetsyGraves #Reyneau #NationalPortraitGallery #artText #BlueskyArt #JaneMatildaBolin #WomenPaintingWomen

The Harmon Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City from 1922 to 1967, included this portrait in their exhibition “Portraits of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin,” which documented noteworthy African Americans’ contributions to the United States. Modeling their goal of social equality, the Harmon sought portraits from African American artist Laura Wheeler Waring and Euro-American artist Betsy Graves Reyneau. The two painters followed the conventional codes of academic portraiture, seeking to convey their sitters’ extraordinary accomplishments. This painting, along with a variety of educational materials, toured nation-wide for 10 years, serving as a visual rebuttal to racism. Anna Arnold Hedgeman was an African-American civil rights leader, politician, educator, and writer. Under U.S. President Harry Truman, she served as executive director of the National Council for a Permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission. She was also appointed to the cabinet of New York City mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr., becoming the first African-American woman to hold a cabinet post in NYC. Hedgeman was a major advocate for both minorities and the poor. She also served as a consultant for many companies and entities on racial issues plus she was among the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington. Reyneau portrays Dr. Hedgeman seated in a dark wooden chair in right profile, but she has turned her head to look directly at us. She's wearing a full-length, long-sleeve dress with bold, horizontal green and white stripes. Her hands are resting in her lap, and her expression appears thoughtful and direct, but not overtly emotional. Her skin is rendered in a range of warm colors, with subtle shifts in tone. There are shades of peach, pink, and yellow, capturing the highlights and shadows of her face. She has short, dark brown hair, with lighter brown highlights and subtle shading. The contrasting muted green and white stripes create a visually striking pattern.

“Dr. Anna Arnold Hedgeman” by Betsy Graves Reyneau (American) - Oil on canvas / 1945 - National Portrait Gallery (Washington DC) #WomenInArt #art #ArtText #WomanArtist #WomensArt #artwork #FemaleArtist #BetsyGravesReyneau #BetsyGraves #HarmonFoundation #portrait #NationalPortraitGallery #Smithsonian