The Florida Supreme Court Historical Society is pleased and honored to assist in commissioning the official portraits of the Justices of the Florida Supreme Court. The Justices are encouraged to select an artist and decide the image's format and aesthetics, understanding that the existing paintings establish some traditions and conventions. The Historical Society donates the completed artwork to the Supreme Court to join the Court's portrait collection. The collection is on view to the public in the Supreme Court building and includes portraits of all of Florida's justices, starting with the first justices to serve the state under the newly adopted Constitution in 1838.

Related Links

• Portraits as Bookmarks on Florida History 
• About the Florida Supreme Court's Portrait Gallery

Existing traditions and convention of official portraits:  

• Most portrait canvases are between 28 by 22 inches and 30 by 26 inches.
• Portrait frames average between 3 ½ to 5 inches wide, the Artist can assist with a frame recommendation. 
• All portraits are either half-length (waist up) or head and shoulders only.
• In most recently painted portraits, the Justices wear black robes, but not all

Portrait background suggestions for consideration*:

• Seated at the Court bench
• Bookcase of law books
• In Chambers
• U.S. and Florida flags
• Supreme Court Seal
• Florida State Seal
• A map of an area that is significant Justice
• In front of or beside a window with a view of....
• A neutral background (and is the conventional standard for head and shoulder only portraits)

Possible additional personal objects (attributes) in the painting’s foreground or background*:

• Photo of family
• Artwork that is significant to the Justice
•  Law books that include Justice’s lower court opinions
• Significant commendations or awards
• A family artifact

*Depending on the Artist, detailed background and attributes may involve an additional fee and can worked out in advance.

 

The Artist and Justice will determine the photographic image(s) used to create the painting. The images could be existing photograph(s) or new planned photos. Some Artists may require one or more in-person interviews and sitting with their portrait subject. The Justice and the Artist can work out those details in advance.

Resources for finding the right portrait artist:

The Historical Society does not approve artists. Justices can select their portrait artist from the resources provided or elsewhere. We have created these new resources to assist the Justices with their artist selection. We are pleased to provide technical and logistical support in contacting and commissioning their selected portrait artist. The Historical Society would be delighted to host the official portrait unveiling at our annual Supreme Evening event in January following the painting's completion.  

The Historical Society is working with Portrait Inc., a national portrait artist brokerage firm representing only the country's finest artists. Their National Sales Director, Ruth Reeves, created a custom online gallery of more than 15 artists with judicial or similar portrait experience for the Justices to use as a resource. The online gallery features numerous examples of the artists' work, bio, and links to their fees and procedures.

 Portraits Inc.'s Online Gallery for Florida Justices

The Historical Society has also created a downloadable catalog of the online gallery in a user-friendly format with the Artists' bios, fees, procedures, and a few samples of their work. This catalog also includes samples of artists who have painted other Florida Judges and Supreme Court Justices.  Note: The Online Gallery has more examples of the Artist’s work than the catalog.

 Downloadable Catalog of Gallery Samples with Artist Bio and Fees

Commissioning the portrait artists

The eight portraits the Historical Society commissioned between 2015 and 2024 were from $5000 to $8500. The Historical Society Board of Trustees has budgeted up to $20,000 for each portrait, including the additional photography, framing, creating, shipping, and artist travel, if needed.

Once the Justice has selected an Artist, contact Mark Miller at the Historical Society office to start the process or to at least have a conversation between the Justice and the Artist about the portrait.

Waiting for the paint to dry

Past portraits have taken the artists from five to 12 (or, in rare instances, more) months to complete. Completion time depends on the time needed to determine the image and elements in the painting and the artist’s other commitments.

The Unveiling 

The Historical Society would be pleased to host the official portrait unveiling at our annual Supreme Evening event in January following the painting’s completion.

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