woodrowwilson

Wilson returned from the peace conference in Paris on the en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_George_Washington arriving in Hoboken on July 8, 1919 (the date written on the negative).

Artist: www.askart.com/artist/Louis_Mark/29281/Louis_Mark.aspx www.artprice.com/artist/54060/louis-mark/biography From the former: "A portrait painter, Louis Mark was born in Retteg, Hungary on August 25, 1867. He studied in Paris with Bouguereau and Robert-Fleury, and from 1910 to 1922, did portrait commissions in principal cities in the United States." Name variant: Lajos Mark From the latter: Louis MARK (1867-1942) Birth place: Hungary Death place: NYC Profession: Portrait painter Studied: Académie Julian, Paris with Bouguereau and Robert-Fleury, 1890-93. Exhibited: Munich, 1890; Vienna, 1894; Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1900 (silver med.) Comments: He came to the U.S. in 1910 and fulfilled portrait commissions in major cities until 1922.

The portrait is a view of Wilson as academic, rather than as president of the U.S. He was President of Princeton University, from 1902 to 1910, and then the 34th Governor of New Jersey, serving from 1911 to 1913. It also seems to be of a younger man. See millercenter.org/president/biography/wilson-life-before-t... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson It seems likely that the portrait dates from 1910 or perhaps earlier, if Mark came to the U.S. to visit before he came permanently in 1910, or Wilson sat/stood for Mark in Europe.

I wonder why he drew in a skull and Jesus on the cross?

New-York Tribune., July 08, 1919, page 1 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1919-07-08/ed-... has a large headline: "President Home To-day. City Ready to Greet Him." The right-hand column describes the plans. The President and his wife would drive from Hoboken to New Tork City, where the celebrations would be on Fifth Avenue and at Carnegie Hall.