Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Portrait |
Title |
Governor Ruby Laffoon |
Catalog Number |
1949.28 |
Creator |
Collins, Harold |
Date |
ca. 1935 |
Material(s) |
Paint/Canvas |
Description |
This bust portrait of Ruby Laffoon shows a man with gray receding hair. He is wearing a gray suit, white shirt and red tie. The subject is turned toward the viewer's right. |
Notes |
Ruby Laffoon (1869-1941) was governor of Kentucky from 1931 to 1935. The Great Depression left Kentucky with a failing economy and declining revenues. To cope with the crisis Governor Laffoon closed banks and tobacco markets, but it was not enough. Although national New Deal programs could help, Kentucky lacked the required matching funds. To raise money, Laffoon worked to get Kentuckians to accept a sales tax. After a struggle, the legislature eventually approved a small sales tax in 1934. The artist Harold Collins (1908-1987) was a prominent local artist who was known to be the painter of at least eight governors of Kentucky. He worked for a period of time with the Kentucky Department of Public Information. While there, he was asked to create the new design for the Kentucky State flag that was officially enacted into law in 1962. The collection at KHS contains several official governor portraits created by the artist including the two confederate governors Governor Johnson and Governor Hawes and the portrait of George Rogers Clark. There is an oral history interview with the artist in the KHS oral history collections. |
Collection |
Ruby Laffoon Family Collection |
People |
Collins, Harold, 1908-1987 Laffoon, Ruby, 1869-1941 |
Subjects |
Governors Government officials Government |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |