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Stephen Colbert ... In The National Portrait Gallery?!

By Stephen Bach

March 28, 2008 / 5:40 PM EDT / CBS News

(CBS)

The Smithsonian has been having a little fun at its National Portrait Gallery lately. For the last few months, it has displayed a portrait of comedian and talk show host Stephen Colbert above the water fountain that's between the restrooms right off the American Presidents exhibit. Yes, just about 15 feet away from Gilbert Stuart's iconic 1796 Lansdowne portrait of George Washington hangs the likeness of the Comedy Central host.

Bethany Bentley, a museum spokeswoman, chose the placement of the canvas - which is actually a prop from The Colbert Report's set – after the show's producers offered to "donate" the portrait.

"The Colbert Report is a tongue-in-cheek comedy show, and I felt this was a tongue-in-cheek comedy placement," said Bentley, who emphasizes that this it's all a joke, and that she wanted the humor "conveyed in every sense of the message – in the label, in where we hung it, and in its presentation."

The temporary addition will be taken down on April 1, but it's been a hit for the museum. So, why not add it to the permanent collection?

Click below to find out:

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