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Both men are smiling in their portraits
They were commissioned by the US Government Publishing Office
The White House released the official portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday, more than nine months after they took office.
The portraits, in which both men are smiling, were commissioned by the US Government Publishing Office and will be distributed throughout the country to federal buildings, according to a release from the White House.
There had been discussion as to why the Trump portrait was taking so long to be unveiled; Barack Obama’s portrait was revealed and distributed in February 2009, one month after he was sworn in as president.
However, it appears from the background of Trump’s portrait that he could have been waiting for the renovation of the Oval Office to be completed. The detail of the wallpaper over the President’s shoulder shows the gray damask print, not the striped wallpaper of the Obama-era decor.
The renovation of the Oval Office was completed in August, indicating that the portrait, which was taken by chief White House photographer Shealah Craighead, wasn’t taken until several months after Trump’s swearing-in.
There is also a sliver of a gold picture frame in the background, which is the frame for the Thomas Jefferson portrait painting, done by artist Rembrandt Peale in 1800, that hangs in the Oval Office. A White House spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the photograph was taken in the Oval Office.
Pence’s portrait was taken by his official photographer, D. Myles Cullen.
