The painting originated as a charcoal sketch called “The Son of Man” for the cover of The Covenant Companion in 1924. In response to the illustration’s popular reception, Sallman painted an oil version in 1940.
Prints of the painting are so widespread, according to the article’s author, David Morgan, that “Even the most Protestant of Protestants knows the picture from Sunday school days or grandma’s living room.” More than 500 million copies of the painting have been distributed. Many were first sent as wallet-sized cards to U.S. soldiers during World War II.
According to the article, copies of the painting have been placed throughout society and its popularity has crossed socio and religious boundaries. “Copies of Sallman’s ‘Head of Christ’ were placed in public libraries, schools, police departments, community centers, and even in courtrooms,” the article states.
“One photograph from 1962 shows Vice President Lyndon Johnson posing reverently beside a copy of the picture sent to him in Washington,” the article reads. “Today, the portrait of Jesus is still found in both Protestant and Catholic churches, enjoys fond use among Mormons, Latinos, Native Americans, and African Americans, and hangs in Christian homes in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe.”
Sallman’s other artwork has played a role in the life of individual Covenant churches. For example, Sallman painted his first mural, “The Ascension,” in 1926 for the Evangelical Covenant Church in South Bend, Indiana, which was then known as the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant Church.
When the church decided to change locations, it focused its architectural plans around Sallman’s mural, which is located in the church narthex and visible from the street where the church is located. Sallman even visited the church and touched up the mural in 1959, one of several restorations of the piece.
To read the entire Christian History & Biography article, see Warner Sallman.
