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HISTORIC: Beyoncé

A PORTRAIT of Beyoncé taken for the US Vogue September 2018 issue has been added to the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The news was confirmed by the fashion bible on Tuesday (Aug 6) as the gallery added the photograph to the gallery’s permanent collection.

The image features the music icon in a gold Valentino dress and Phillip Treacy hat, resting on a white pillar with an assortment of flowers.

The image is of particular significance as it was shot by Tyler Mitchell, who became the first African-American photographer to shoot the cover of American Vogue in its 125-year history.

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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

Reflecting on the portrait, Mitchell took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the cultural significance of the photoshoot.

He said: “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," he wrote.

"And now I'm glad to share this picture is being acquired into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection."