- Photograph by
- The White House, founded 1792
- Subject of
- General Powell, Colin L., American, 1937 - 2021
- President Clinton, Bill, American, born 1946
- Les Aspin, American, 1938 - 1995
- Owned by
- General Powell, Colin L., American, 1937 - 2021
- Date
- 1993
- Medium
- (a) ink on paper (fiber product)
- (b) wood and glass
- Dimensions
- H x W (image): 6 5/16 × 9 1/2 in. (16 × 24.1 cm)
- H x W (sheet): 7 1/16 × 9 1/2 in. (18 × 24.1 cm)
- H x W x D: 15 1/4 × 16 3/4 × 1 in. (38.7 × 42.5 × 2.5 cm)
- Caption
- This photograph was inscribed by President Bill Clinton on the occasion of General Powell's 56th birthday. Powell was then serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first African American to hold that position. This photograph hung in the sitting room of the Powell family's residence in McLean, Virginia.
- Description
- A framed and inscribed black-and-white photograph of General Colin L. Powell, with President Bill Clinton and Defense Secretary Les Aspin.
- This photograph (a) captures the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Powell, 18th Secretary of Defense, Les Aspin, and President Bill Clinton, smiling and talking, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. General Powell (left) and Secretary Aspin (center) are dressed casually in long sleeve tops and loose trousers. President Clinton, as he notes in his inscription, is dressed in a dark suit and dotted necktie. The men stand on and near the Great Seal on the carpet. In the background, the floor to ceiling curtains are open to the bright daytime. A tall U.S. flag on pole stands in front of curtains and beside a console table with several picture frames and a large plant. Three short-back wooden chairs can be seen throughout the room, in addition to two sofas. In the bottom white sheet of the photograph is a handwritten inscription in black ink that reads: [To Gen. Colin Powell – on a rare day I am more dressed up than you – / with thanks, on your birthday, for your service to America. Bill Clinton 4-5-93]. The photograph (a) is set behind a white square window mat and housed inside of a mahogany brown, deep set, wooden frame (b).
- Place captured
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Photographs and Still Images
- Topic
- Government
- Men
- Military
- Photography
- Politics
- Social life and customs
- U.S. History, 1969-2001
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alma J. Powell
- Object number
- A2022.101.1.13ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- No known copyright restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




