The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery occupies the Greek Revival Old Patent Office Building in Washington’s Penn Quarter, where paintings, photographs, and sculptures tell the American story through the faces of the people who shaped it. Admission is free, which helps explain why history lovers, art fans, and school groups keep it near the top of DC museum lists.
The anchor is “America’s Presidents,” the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House. It includes Gilbert Stuart’s “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington and Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of Barack Obama, set against a backdrop of flowers. Elsewhere, galleries trace American life from colonial times to the present day. For the U.S. semiquincentennial, the museum is presenting “The Spirit of Invention: Patent Office and Patentees,” an exhibition on the early history of the building itself, the third-oldest in Washington (source: [Smithsonian](https://www.si.edu/museums/portrait-gallery)). Between galleries, rest in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, covered by an undulating glass canopy designed by Foster + Partners.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
The museum typically opens daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closes on December 25. Check [npg.si.edu](https://npg.si.edu/) before you go for current hours and exhibitions. To avoid school groups, visit on a weekday afternoon, and expect bigger crowds during spring break and summer. No tickets are required. The building also houses the Smithsonian American Art Museum, so you can see two collections in one visit. Take Metro to Gallery Place–Chinatown (Red, Green, and Yellow lines), which is about a block away, then walk to Chinatown’s Friendship Archway or Capital One Arena.
