This is a three-quarter standing portrait of Frank Lowden. The background of the portrait is a mix of olive and blue/black with visible brush strokes. The view is frontal, turned ever-so-slightly away from the viewer; Frank Lowden’s hands are in his trouser pockets. His short hair is gray, and he is wearing a dark three-piece suit with a dark (possibly navy-blue) tie. There is white detailing along the neck edge of his buttoned-up vest that is suggestive of a cardigan. He wears a watch in his vest pocket with a visible chain. The cuffs of his white shirt contrast with his coat sleeves. Frank Lowden lived on a 4,400-acre estate he called “Sinnissippi,” which was located five miles south of the Eagle’s Nest Art Colony along the east bank of the Rock River. He was a frequent visitor at the summer camp since Mrs. Lowden was an enthusiastic patron of the arts. Lowden served as U.S. Representative from 1907-1921 and Governor of Illinois from 1917-1921. In July of 1911, the Honorable Frank O. Lowden presided at the dedication ceremony of Lorado Taft’s reinforced concrete statue of the “Eternal Indian,” commonly known as “Black Hawk.”
On October 18, 1942, six months after Ralph Clarkson’s death, this painting was presented to the Oregon Public Library in a special ceremony. The portrait had previously occupied a special place in Clarkson’s Chicago Studio.