First Woman Military Chaplain Reunited with Painted Portrait

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Brock | Retired Lt. Dianna Pohlman-Bell, a chaplain in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary - the civilian uniformed volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard - visits Naval History and Heritage Command headquarters on the Washington Navy Yard on July 26. Pohlman was first female chaplain of any U.S. military service, a pioneer in an era when women were expanding their roles in the Navy and female clergy in or out of the service were unusual. During her visit to NHHC, Pohlman-Bell met with NHHC Director Samuel Cox. She was also shown an oil on canvas portrait of her in the Navy’s Art collection by NHHC Art Curator Pamela Overmann. The portrait was painted by artist Margaret Sargent. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Adam Brock)  

UNITED STATES

08.15.2023

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Abigayle Lutz 

Naval History and Heritage Command

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD - Every portrait attempts to capture the essence of the subject. Famous examples from across the ages and in different styles—such as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” and Vincent van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat” — bring both physical and mental characteristics of their subjects to life. This is what artist Margaret Sargent aimed to do in 1974 when she painted a portrait of the first female chaplain in the U.S. military, Lt. Dianna Pohlman-Bell.

“Dianna Pohlman is a fine, intelligent and warm human being; a distinct credit to the Navy,” wrote Sargent in a log she kept while creating the portrait. “It is my hope that I was able to capture these qualities in my painting of her.”

The 53 inch by 43 inch portrait depicts Pohlman-Bell, then a chaplain stationed at Naval Training Center Orlando, standing against a textured white background in her dress blue uniform, her right sleeve in the foreground showcasing the chaplain corps insignia, a gold cross. Her left hand clutches a pair of white gloves and her officer combination cap. She wears a warm expression, smiling while looking off canvas into the distance.

The portrait was created as part of the Navy Art Cooperation and Liaison Committee (NACAL).

“NACAL was a program between the Navy, the Salmagundi Club in New York City and the Holly House in Los Angeles to work with civilian artists to document events related to the Navy,” said Pam Overmann, Curator at Naval History and Heritage Command. “The artist would be issued invitational travel [orders], perhaps to Boston or Vietnam, or in this case Orlando, Fla., and create artwork to be exhibited and ultimately donated to the Navy.”

The oil-on-canvas painting now resides as part of the Navy Art Collection and is held at the Washington Navy Yard.
Almost 50 years after the portrait was created, Pohlman-Bell was reunited with it while visiting the Naval History and Heritage Command in July. The last time she saw the painting was in 2004.

Reflecting on how she felt when seeing the portrait, Pohlman-Bell stated, “I had a lot of feelings. The first was, what a beautiful job the artist did. She captured a lot of what I was feeling and what I was thinking about my role at the time, moving forward and being different in a lot of ways. When I saw it, I felt proud to see it. As a matter of fact, it took me back to the feelings I had at the time of the portrait, which was confusion and a lot of stress because of the nature of the work I was doing. So stress and pride at the same time.”

As the first female chaplain of any U.S. military service, Pohlman-Bell was a pioneer in an era when women were expanding their roles in the Navy and female clergy were rare. Portraits like this and many others in the Navy Art Collection help to signify important milestones in the Navy’s history and document Sailors who paved the way for others.

“The art within the collection documents the work the Navy does, both in wartime and in peace, on shore and at sea, the people, places and equipment that create that unique environment,” said Overmann. “As the service has expanded to include those that have, in the past, been excluded from its ranks, it is important to highlight those that created an opening for others, like Mrs. Pohlman-Bell.”

Pohlman-Bell was commissioned in 1973 by the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt.

In a 1994 oral history interview with Pohlman-Bell, she recalls her journey to becoming a chaplain in the Navy. She stated that a military chaplain had approached her with information that the Navy was seeking their first woman chaplain. After many discussions, she became more and more interested it the opportunity.

“The Maundy Thursday before [seminary] graduation I knew I was called to ministry in ordination and to the chaplaincy in the Navy,” stated Pohlman-Bell. “I had never thought of myself as being a military person. I grew up in San Diego. My father was in the aeronautical business, but I was not connected with the military there at all, so I had never thought of a military career at all. What hooked me and what was very interesting to me was creating a role model for women in a whole new way and place.”

After serving in the Navy for three years, Pohlman-Bell went on to continue her work in ministry for a total of 50 years, ultimately retiring from a career as a civilian minister in the Presbyterian Church. She now serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the civilian uniformed volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Navy Art Collection is a branch of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Comprised of nearly 20,000 paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures, it is a collection of national significance and custodian of some of the most well-known and loved images of U.S. Navy history.

• Date Taken: 08.15.2023
• Date Posted: 08.21.2023 08:05
• Story ID: 451393
• Location: US