Former House Speaker Philip Gunn returned to the Mississippi Capitol on Wednesday for the unveiling of his official portrait.
Lawmakers, statewide officials, family members and supporters filled the rotunda during one of the busiest stretches of the legislative session for the House tradition honoring former speakers.
Gunn represented Clinton in the House for two decades and served three terms as speaker.
The portrait itself, painted by Oxford artist Jason Bouldin, is restrained rather than grandiose. Gunn is shown sitting forward in a simple chair against a muted background of pale greens and grays.
Bouldin, who also painted the portrait of former House Speaker Billy McCoy, told the crowd that choice was deliberate.
“All in all, this depiction is aimed to present Speaker Gunn more as a person rather than as a speaker, rather than simply the office of the speaker,” Bouldin said.
Gunn complimented Bouldin’s dedication to the project, noting the day and a half the artist spent with him and his wife to get to know them before starting on the canvas.
“I learned a lot about painting through him, and I'll paint yours, Speaker White, because I now know how to do it,” Gunn joked, drawing laughs from the crowd.
The painting does not include many of the political markers usually found in this kind of portraiture: no gavel, no House chamber in the background, no official seal. It does, however, feature Mississippi’s state flag in the upper left corner, a nod to the significant role Gunn played in retiring the second iteration of the state flag, which contained a Confederate battle emblem.
Bouldin said he knew immediately the symbol had to be incorporated in some way and called the flag change “a real achievement of compromise and a true turning point forward for our state.”
During his remarks, Gunn revisited other accomplishments he most wants tied to his tenure, including cutting the state income tax, raising teacher pay and passing a series of anti-abortion bills. Near the end of the speech, Gunn turned to the future and indicated his time in public service isn’t over.
“One might think that after receiving an honor like this, you might just ride off into the sunset, but I want to head into the sunrise,” Gunn said. “The sun is rising in Mississippi and our best days are ahead of us.”
Gunn has been mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for governor in 2027, though he has not announced plans to run for statewide office.