Portrait by Simmie Knox

Commissioned by Duke University President Nannerl O. Keohane. It was unveiled in the Gothic Reading Room, Perkins Library, Duke University, on March 3, 1997, where it is currently on display. John Hope Franklin is portrayed with a photograph of his wife, Aurelia Whittington Franklin, and the John Hope Franklin orchid, Phalaenopsis. He is holding one of his most acclaimed publications, From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans. On his lapel is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, awarded to Dr. Franklin in 1995 by President Bill Clinton. (Excerpted from Duke University web site).