Eleanor Roosevelt and Soong Mei-ling sit side by side on chairs on the White House lawn, looking directly at the camera with the South Portico and United States flag behind them.

24 February 1943 · Safety-film negative

Washington, D.C. Madame Chiang Kai-shek and Mrs. Roosevelt

Roberts

Why it matters

Soong Mei-ling’s American tour made Nationalist China present through an English-speaking diplomat who could address Congress and appear beside the First Lady. The portrait records her agency while showing how an elite individual was selected to personify a vast and politically divided ally.

Publication
Farm Security Administration / Office of War Information photograph
Holding institution
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Shelfmark
LC-USW3-017542-C; LC-DIG-fsa-8d13981
Rights
Public domain; no known restrictions

Roberts. Washington, D.C. Madame Chiang Kai-shek and Mrs. Roosevelt, 24 February 1943. Safety-film negative. Library of Congress, LC-USW3-017542-C.