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

“We have a powerful potential in out youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.” - Mary McLeod Bethune On paper, the New Deal programs enacted to ease the economic sufferings of the Depression were open to everyone, but in practice, racial discrimination often kept African Americans from sharing in their full benefits. A black educator and founder of Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida, Mary McLeod Bethune was determined to correct that inequity. As an official in the National Youth Administration, she proved remarkably effective in assuring blacks access to its employment programs. But her efforts did not stop there. In 1936 she was the chief organizer of a group of Washington-based African American leaders known as the "black cabinet," whose self-appointed mission was to maintain steady pressure on the federal government to create better job opportunities for blacks. American portraitist Betsy Graves Reyneau depicts the esteemed leader later in life wearing a richly colored, dark blue velvet outfit featuring large dark buttons down the front. The velvet seems to catch the light, giving it a subtle sheen. Her facial expression is serene and dignified, with a hint of a gentle smile playing on her lips. Her dark eyes hold a depth of wisdom and quiet strength. Her dark hair is neatly pulled back, suggesting a careful and composed demeanor. Her skin is realistically rendered, showing the texture and tones consistent with age. In the background, hangs a framed picture depicting a light-colored building which resembles a small academic institution, surrounded by trees and a walkway. To her right sits a globe, resting on a dark wooden stand. She is holding a dark-colored cane in her left hand, resting it lightly against the floor. Bethune had no physical need for the cane she holds in her portrait. She used it, she said, to give herself "swank."

"Mary McLeod Bethune" by Betsy Graves Reyneau (American) - Oil on canvas / 1943 - National Portrait Gallery (Washington DC) #WomenInArt #art #PortraitofaWoman #WomanArtist #ArtText #WomensArt #FemaleArtist #MaryMcLeodBethune #BetsyGravesReyneau #Reyneau #BskyArt #NationalPortraitGallery #Smithsonian