Art, biography, history and identity collide in this podcast from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Join Director Kim Sajet as she chats with artists, historians, and thought leaders about the big and small ways that portraits shape our world.

&lt;p&gt;Museum director Kim Sajet takes listeners to stand in front of a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant, the revered commander who led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War. But it’s actually the frame that steals the show.&lt;/p&gt; 
 
&lt;p&gt;According to conservator Bill Adair, “The frame gives us information that the painting simply cannot.” In this case, the frame showcases Grant’s major battlefield triumphs. Another, gifted to George Washington by the King of France, tells the story of a political marriage.&lt;/p&gt; 
 
&lt;p&gt;Then, Chicana artist Ruth Buentello explains why she frames her portraits in soft, worn fabrics that she scavenges from the linen closet of life.&lt;/p&gt; 
 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://npg.si.edu/ulysses-s-grant-frame&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Ulysses S. Grant&lt;/a&gt;, by Ole Peter Hansen Balling&lt;/p&gt; 
 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mountvernonnewroom.tumblr.com/post/67069735532/a-portrait-of-a-king-at-mount-vernon&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;King Louis XVI of France&lt;/a&gt;, by Charles-Clément Bervic&lt;/p&gt; 
 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://ruthbuentello.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/img_3196.jpg&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Gamer Niñas&lt;/a&gt;, by Ruth Buentello&lt;/p&gt; 
 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/portraiture-now-kinship&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Under the Mexican Colchas&lt;/a&gt;, Kinship Exhibition, by Ruth Buentello&lt;/p&gt;

PORTRAITS

The Data