Visions of Victory: Picturing the Spanish-American War

April 19–December 16, 2012
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

On February 15, 1898, the battleship USS Maine, dispatched to secure American economic interests in Cuba, mysteriously exploded and sank in Havana Harbor. This event triggered the Spanish-American War, a series of clashes between the United States and Spain over control of Spanish colonies in the Caribbean (Cuba and Puerto Rico) and the Pacific (the Philippines and Guam).

Visions of Victory, presented by The Wolfsonian Library, displayed periodical illustrations, books, and other items, all from a gift from Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf and primarily representing the Caribbean phase of the conflict, to explore how the American and British publics formed a visual impression of the war. In an era before widespread photojournalism, it was up to artists and printers to create the images that complemented written accounts of battle.