Amid a hectic week of crafting a multi-billion dollar state budget, most of the Capitol on Wednesday paused business to witness the unveiling of former House Speaker Philip Gunn’s portrait that will hang in the entrance to the House chamber. 

Gunn is a Republican who represented the Clinton area in the House for 20 years. For 12 of those years, he served as speaker, one of the most powerful positions in state government. He was the first Republican speaker since Reconstruction. 

The painting features Gunn sitting in an armless olive-green chair with brass rivets. In the upper-left corner, it features a painting of Mississippi’s newly changed state flag. As speaker, Gunn helped lead the charge for Mississippi to scrap its former flag containing a Confederate battle emblem and adopt its current flag. 

“When I first saw it, it was like looking in the mirror,” Gunn told reporters. 

The painting does not show Gunn wielding a gavel or inside the House chamber, which is the typical fashion for portraits of past speakers. Jason Bouldin, the portrait artist, said he chose to showcase Gunn in that fashion to portray his overall sense of generosity and calmness. 

In addition to changing the state’s flag, Gunn will likely be remembered for leading the House in its passage of a bill that restricted abortion in the state. That legislation led to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and ending a constitutional right to an abortion. 

The former speaker said other items he views as policy achievements are rehabbing road and bridge infrastructure, increasing salaries for public school teachers and cutting the state’s income tax. 

The end of Gunn’s speech sounded like a prelude to a future campaign announcement. He told attendees at the Capitol ceremony that he wanted to be part of an effort that helps build up the next generation of Mississippians and continue to make the state the “best place to live and work.” 

“I am not riding off into the sunset, but I will be riding into the sunrise,” Gunn said. 

Regardless of whether Gunn chooses to run for statewide office, his portrait will hang in the Capitol alongside other past speakers, as is the typical custom. Whenever the 122 elected House members enter the chamber during a session, they will likely view Gunn’s image. 

Current House Speaker Jason White told Mississippi Today that he believes the portrait captures his predecessor’s “down-to-earth” nature and his bold leadership style. When he views the painting, White said he’ll remember how Gunn led “from the front” and not “from the side or the back.”

“I can only hope to kind of get close to that mark,” White said. “For us, when you see that, you remember that guy and that leader, and it’s a good memory.”