National Portrait Gallery presents portrait of Aretha Franklin
(Artdaily.org)

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery recognizes the life of acclaimed singer and musician Aretha Franklin. Her portrait has been installed in the museum’s In Memoriam space on the first floor, and it will remain on display through Aug. 22. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1942, Aretha Franklin influenced the course of American soul and pop music. With her signature voice—unmistakably familiar for its depth, range and emotional power—Franklin rose to prominence on the American music scene after her first commercial success in the late 1960s. Merging her childhood interests in gospel singing—both of her parents were gospel singers and her father was a renowned preacher—with jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music, Franklin came to be known as the “Queen of Soul,” belting out a string of early number-