Since its origins in the 1920s, Time magazine has loved honoring Hollywood celebrities on its cover alongside world leaders, criminals, and other notable citizens of the world. By featuring these notable characters on its cover, the magazine invited readers to learn more about the emerging medium of film and how it would go on to impact entertainment practices. Now, the National Portrait Gallery has pulled a selection of nearly three dozen pieces from its collection of original Time covers to show how these faces changed popular culture. The people captured in the exhibit have changed over the years (Steven Spielberg and Meryl Streep have matured since they were first captured by Time artists) and so have the techniques used to create the portraits. Early works, especially those by so-called “Mr. Time,” Boris Chaliapin, are gouache paintings; by the late 1970s, the magazine transitioned to photographing cover subjects. The exhibition is on view daily, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., to Sept. 11, at the National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets NW. Free. (202) 633-8300. npg.si.edu.