Beyoncé's portrait acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery

Last year photographer Tyler Mitchell become the first African-American photographer to shoot Vogue's September issue. The most important issue of the year. 

Singer Beyoncé featured on the cover wearing a flower headpiece, shot against a white background in a garden setting. 

View this post on Instagram

This is as much about forming firsts as it is about leaving legacies. Here’s @beyonce by me for the September 2018 issue of American Vogue. Honored to have worked with such an icon.

A post shared by Tyler Mitchell(@tylersphotos) on Aug 6, 2018 at 7:16am PDT

But it's the photograph of Beyoncé wearing a gold Valentino dress and gold Philip Treacy London headpiece that's been acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

The young photographer announced the news on his Instagram page saying, "A year ago today we broke the flood gates open. Since then it was important to spend the whole year running through them making sure every piece of the gate was knocked down. And now I’m glad to share this picture is being acquired into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection."

View this post on Instagram

A year ago today we broke the flood gates open. Since then it was important to spend the whole year running through them making sure every piece of the gate was knocked down. And now I’m glad to share this picture is being acquired into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection

A post shared by Tyler Mitchell(@tylersphotos) on Aug 6, 2019 at 6:09am PDT

Photographer Tyler Mitchell. Picture: Instagram

This won't be Mitchell’s first image of Beyoncé in the in the National Portrait Gallery.

A colour photolithographic promo poster for Beyoncé’s 2003 album Dangerously in Love currently hangs in the “20th Century Americans: 2000 to Present” gallery of the museum.