Freeman Thorp’s portrait shows a vigorous man, leaning on the back of a chair, hand in pocket and decorative watch fob prominently displayed. Thorp, a Washington-based artist, probably created this portrait from photographs, since it was made after the sitter had returned to Minnesota. Appropriations Committee Chairman Tawney was a powerful man, mentally and physically. In his youth, he was a blacksmith by trade. He rode his energy and skill to great power in the House, until clashes with President Teddy Roosevelt diminished his influence.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “James Albertus Tawney,” http://history.house.gov/Collection/Detail (January 11, 2017)
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