As with most things that have to do with the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama and former First Lady, Michelle, the unveiling of their Official Portraits at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery (a significant moment in the life cycle of a former president)—it was history making for more than one reason.

Not only did the occasion mark the service of the first black American President and First Lady but it also became about the first black portrait artists ever selected to paint an official presidential portrait for the Smithsonian.