Today’s post is written by Liz Caringola, who works on our ancestry.com digitization project.
February 22, 2012, marks the 25th anniversary of the death of American pop artist Andy Warhol. The Pittsburgh native rose to fame in the 1960s as one of the most prominent members of the American pop art movement. He remained a cultural icon until his sudden death in 1987. His artistic talent and celebrity status earned him multiple invitations to the White House, particularly during the Carter Administration.
President Jimmy Carter met with Warhol on February 14, 1977. According to the President’s daily diary, the meeting lasted for two minutes, but it does not mention the topic of conversation. In the Monday, March 7, 1977, entry of The Andy Warhol Diaries, Warhol confesses that he was nervous and tongue-tied during the meeting and characterizes Carter as “a really nice man.”
Warhol was at the Carter White House again on June 14, 1977, for a reception for the Inaugural Portfolio Artists. This photograph shows the President holding Jimmy Carter, a portrait done by Warhol to commemorate Carter’s inauguration.
[National Archives Identifier: 175147]
This contact sheet shows additional photographs taken at the event:
To browse or search President Carter’s daily schedules, visit the website of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
I love it when we get to see contact sheets! Great post.