Randolph LaSale Coats
Artist, Indiana Governors' Portrait Collection
Henry Frederick Schricker (1883-1966), painted 1952
Governor of Indiana
January 13, 1941-January 8, 1945
January 10, 1949-January 12, 1953
Artist: Randolph LaSalle Coats, American, 1891-1957
oil on canvas, 30 x 25 (76.2 x 63.7)
Signed and dated l.r.: RANDOLPH COATS/1952
A SECOND PORTRAIT of Schricker was commissioned in the governor's second term in 1952, this time from Randolph Coats, who had previously painted the portrait of Governor Gates. The portrait is smaller than the others in the official collection, and has the casual appearance of a wallet photograph. A light shining through the parted red drapery casts a bright beam on the governor's face, outlining the shape of the face and reflecting luminous skin tones. The literal use of color is in keeping with Coat's meticulous style and contributes to the photographic effect. The governor's kind, amiable personality is still conveyed, even through this degree of literalism.
Source: Peat, Wilbur D. Portraits and Painters of the Governors of Indiana 1800-1978. Revised, edited and with new entries by Diane Gail Lazarus, Indianapolis Museum of Art. Biographies of the governors by Lana Ruegamer, Indiana Historical Society. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society and Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1978.