Dresden Resident Honors Maine Female Lawmakers with Portraits

Dresden resident Jerri Whitman has taken on the unique project of creating portraits of Maine women that have served in either the state or federal legislature.

Whitman grew up in Tennessee and lived there well into her adult life. She gives credit to a teacher she had in elementary school for sparking her passion for art.

She took time away from her art while moving to Maine and raising her children, and she resumed painting in 2009. Since then, she has immersed herself into her artistic universe, managing her studio, J. Whitman Studio, since 2017 and writing and illustrating children’s books since 2019.

Whitman’s art career began with painting landscapes, but it soon evolved into passion for painting portraits and authoring and illustrating children’s books.

One book, “The Little Marine,” was written for her grandson. According to Whitman, his father was on deployment with the U.S. Marines when he was born. She continued on with the series, writing “The Little Soldier” and “The Little Sailor” soon after. According to Whitman’s website, she will soon be publishing a book titled “The Little Airman.”

“The Little Marine” received attention from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who sent Whitman a letter about the book.

“I am certain military families will love having these books in their collection,” Collins said in the letter.

Whitman has visited the State Capitol many times, and said something is lacking: representation of women.

In the Capitol building, in the Hall of Flags, are portraits of “Maine’s most prominent people,” according to mainestatemuseum.org. Portrait subjects include Gov. William King, the first governor of Maine, who served from 1820-1821, and James G. Blaine, the Republican candidate for president in 1884.

The only female portrait hanging in the State Capitol, at 66 Union St. in Augusta, is Margaret Chase Smith. Born in 1897 in Skowhegan, Smith was the first woman from Maine to serve in the U.S. Congress, the first woman in the nation elected to both houses of the U.S. Congress, and the first woman to be placed in nomination for the presidency by one of the two major political parties, according to legislature.maine.gov.

According to Whitman, there are currently 479 Maine women that have served in the legislature at either the state or federal level.

When Whitman decided this project needed to be done, and she wanted to be the one to do it, she enlisted the support of Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, who represents Senate District 24, which includes the town of Dresden. Whitman and Vitelli met at the beginning of the year to discuss the direction they hoped to see this project go in, and they continue to meet and speak regularly.

Whitman said Vitelli inquired about bringing in other artists to help with the significant project, but Whitman had her own vision she intended to follow.

“I said, ‘No, it’s my thought, my dream, my project,’” Whitman said.

Whitman said she hopes her project will spark change, amplify community voices, and shine a light on the impact women have made on the state of Maine, and the entire country.

“I hope that people start seeing women as actual, legit, at the table people who can solve problems, who are worthy to be there, who have fought their way to the table.

I would love to see a woman in the White House, as the commander-in-chief,” Whitman said. “I hope (the project) spreads across this nation, and people start saying, ‘Wait a minute, this is happening in my state, too.’”

Whitman said she hopes to put on a showing of the portraits at the Capitol building in March.

Whitman is currently working on her first 25 portraits, which include portraits of Collins and Gov. Janet Mills. She said she hopes this set of portraits will be complete by the end of December. She is currently working on completing the last five portraits in the set.

For more information, find Whitman’s project, “Portraits of Maine Women Lawmakers, History in the Making,” on Facebook.