"As a teenager in Poland, David Dubinsky was exiled to Siberia for his union activities. By 1911, he had immigrated to New York City, where he worked in the clothing industry, and joined the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. With characteristic energy, he rose through the ranks and was elected the union's president in 1932. A fierce champion for his workers, Dubinsky battled during the 1930s to keep the ILGWU out of the hands of both organized crime and the Communist Party. Under his leadership, the union established a standard thirty five-hour work week and focused on the workers' education.
The ILGWU commissioned Dubinsky's portrait from John Sloan, who used distinctive cross-hatching and glazes to highlight his figures. He originally intended to omit these lines for a commissioned portrait, but Dubinsky's daughter, who has given the painting to the Gallery, persuaded him to retain them." -- National Portrait Gallery