A treasure trove of portraits honoring members of the Yale community, ranging in style and color pallet, can be found throughout campus. Despite their public display, many often go unnoticed. YourYale journeyed through buildings, libraries, and hallways to uncover seven captivating stories told on canvas.
Portrait of Elga Wasserman ’76 J.D. by Brenda Zlamany
Elga Wasserman ’76 J.D.
Walking into Bass Library from the Cross Campus entrance, your attention is drawn to this painting with its vivid tangerine background that stands out against the plain brick wall. The orange backdrop, bold shirt pattern, and distinctive hairstyle evoke the fashion trends of the 1970s. While the vibrant colors draw visitors in for a closer look, they soon discover the significance of the portrait’s sitter to Yale’s history. Elga Wasserman (1924-2014), who led the historic transition to co-education at Yale College from 1969 to 1973, advocated for the first classes of women at Yale, overseeing admissions, academics, and housing, ensuring they felt supported and welcomed.
Location: Bass Library
Date: 2022
Artist: Brenda Zlamany
Portrait of Edward Alexander Bouchet 1874 B.A., 1876 Ph.D. by Rudolph Zallinger ’42 B.F.A., ’71 M.F.A.
Edward Alexander Bouchet 1874 B.A., 1876 Ph.D.
Edward Bouchet (1852-1918) graduated sixth in his class from Yale College and went on to earn a Yale Ph.D. in physics two years later. He is one of the first Black people to graduate from Yale and the first Black person in the U.S. to receive a Ph.D. Born in New Haven, Bouchet is honored in several places around campus and town. A portrait of him as a young man (painted from an 1874 photograph) hangs in Sterling Memorial Library. A second painting of him in middle-age can be found in Saybrook College’s Dining Hall.
Location: Sterling Memorial Library Nave
Date: 1983
Artist: Rudolph Zallinger ’42 B.F.A., ’71 M.F.A. (1919-1995)
Cornelia H.B. Rogers (Romance Languages and Literatures), Sara Bulkley Rogers (History), Margaretta Palmer (Mathematics), Mary Augusta Scott (English), Laura Johnson Wylie (English), Charlotte Fitch Roberts (Chemistry), and Elizabeth Deering Hanscom (English)
Yale’s First Seven Women Ph.D.s
This striking portrait hangs in the Nave of Sterling Memorial Library, an impressive space characterized by its limestone walls, vaulted wood coffered ceiling, and abundant carvings. Unveiled in 2016, the painting honors seven women who earned their Ph.D.s in 1894. These women, along with sixteen others, enrolled in the Graduate School in 1892 — the first year women were admitted. The artwork depicts the women in Victorian attire holding objects representing their area of study. Warm tones mixed with cooler shades and the women’s confident postures convey a sense of shared pride and determination.
Location: Sterling Memorial Library Nave
Date: 2015
Artist: Brenda Zlamany
Portrait of James W. C. Pennington by Jas Knight. Pennington’s framed M.A. Privatum, awarded posthumously in 2023, can be seen to the right of his portrait.
James W. C. Pennington
James W. C. Pennington (1807-1870) was the first Black person to attend classes at Yale in the 1830s. Although he was not allowed to enroll formally and could only sit quietly at the back of the class as a visitor, he persevered and audited classes for two years. His story was later rediscovered, prompting the Yale Divinity School to commission a portrait in his honor, along with awarding him a posthumous honorary M.A. Privatum degree. The artist intended the painting to convey Pennington’s dignity and self-determination and allowing viewers to feel as if they are meeting him. The dark, non-distracting background directs all attention to Pennington, emphasizing his penetrating gaze and ensuring he is the focal point of the artwork.
Location: Yale Divinity School, Common Room
Date: 2018
Artist: Jas Knight
Portrait of Rena Karefa-Smart ’45 B.D. by Louise Mandumbwa ’24 M.F.A.
Rena Karefa-Smart ’45 B.D.
Rev. Dr. Rena Joyce Weller Karefa-Smart (1921-2019) was a true pioneer. Karefa-Smart was the first Black woman to graduate from the Yale Divinity School (YDS). She went on to earn a Doctor of Theology from Harvard. She was also the first female professor to receive tenure at Howard Divinity School. A painting of her hangs in the portrait gallery at YDS and depicts Karefa-Smart as she looked in her mid-50s, dressed in a white surplice, or robe, over a black clergy shirt with a plain lavender stole around her neck. Her expression conveys a sense of serenity and animation as if engaged in thoughtful discourse. The simple gray background emphasizes the intricate details of her clerical attire.
Location: Yale Divinity School, Common Room
Date: 2023
Artist: Louise Mandumbwa ’24 M.F.A.
Portrait of Florence Schorske Wald ’41 M.S.N. by Deane Keller, 1923 B.A., 1926 B.F.A.
Florence Schorske Wald ’41 M.S.N.
Florence Wald, ’41 MSN (1917-2008), served as dean of Yale School of Nursing from 1959 to 1966. Credited with bringing the hospice movement to the U.S. from England, she established the first hospice office in New Haven in 1974. Wald created a model of compassionate, dignified end-of-life care, now practiced globally. She redefined nursing as a scholarly clinical discipline, pioneering numerous educational reforms at YSN. In her later years, she integrated hospice care into Connecticut Correctional Facilities, training inmates as hospice volunteers.
Location: School of Nursing third floor Hall of Deans
Date: 1973
Artist: Deane Keller, 1923 B.A., 1926 B.F.A (1901-1992)
Portrait of James Comer, M.D., M.P.H. by Simmie Knox
James Comer, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. James P. Comer is the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center. In 1968, he created a school restructuring program to foster collaboration among educators, parents, and the community, enhancing student development and academic success. Initially implemented in two New Haven elementary schools, it has since been adopted nationwide. The portrait honors Comer’s commitment to education and celebrates his achievement as Yale’s first Black tenured professor. The painting features a smiling Dr. Comer with arms crossed, exuding confidence, authority, and kindness. The setting, with a wooden table and books (he wrote ten books including “Leave No Child Behind”), underscores his identity as a scholar and thought leader.
Location: Yale Child Study Center, second floor
Date: 2022
Artist: Simmie Knox
