America's Presidents, Second Edition

This revised and expanded second edition of striking presidential portraits includes new essays that provide fresh perspectives on the National Portrait Gallery’s signature exhibition.

The National Portrait Gallery’s signature installation America’s Presidents showcases the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House. This second edition is fully updated with presidential information to 2025 and includes a new foreword, new essays, and a renewed focus on the presidential portraits that the museum has been commissioning since 1994. Featuring paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, and photographs, this book encapsulates the spirit of the US presidency through portrayals of those who have held the nation’s highest office. 

Historians provide lively biographical narratives and artistic context for each commander in chief. Illustrations include Gilbert Stuart’s classic “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington, the earliest known surviving photograph of a president (John Quincy Adams), and modern portraits by artists such as Elaine de Kooning, Andy Warhol, and Kehinde Wiley. New essays reflect on what distinguishes a good presidential portrait, how the presidents viewed themselves, how there came to be a gallery of America’s presidents, and the portrait commissioning process. By examining how presidents are presented, perceived, and memorialized in portraiture, America’s Presidents provides a unique view of the United States and the legacy of its leaders.