Good Sports: GAG GIFT
When Premila Jayapal is sworn in on Jan. 3 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, she will receive an oil painting of a newly hatched chick as a gift from the Washington state delegation, a gift she will be eager to part with.
But as tradition dictates, she will have to display the painting in her office for at least two years—until another newcomer from Washington is elected.
Jayapal will be the 27th recipient of the painting, which has been passed around since 1972, when Republican Rep. Joel Pritchard received it from a friend who had bought it at a charity auction, according to a McClatchy report. Pritchard regifted the painting to Democratic Representative Norm Dicks in 1977, beginning a tradition in which recipients also sign the back of the painting.
“It’s a historical document, in addition to being one of the worst paintings ever produced in the history of art,” Democratic Representative Rick Larsen said.
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
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