Span-Amer War poster plate “San Juan Blockhouse” Howard C. Christy 1898 Collier

Description

‘Spanish-American War poster / plate / lithograph titled,
“Capture of San Juan Blockhouse, July 2”
by the renowned illustrator, Howard Chandler Christy.
Worthy of matting and framing! This is an EXCEPTIONALLY nice example
This is an
ORIGINAL
plate printed in1898 by P.F. Collier of
HOWARD CHANDLER CHRISTY
’s watercolor rendering. At the bottom margin,
“
CAPTURE OF SAN JUAN BLOCKHOUSE, JULY 2”
“Copyright, 1898, by P. F. Collier.”
“Painted by H. C. Christy.”
- Handsome lithograph, 16 1/2” x 11” on heavy stock! This large Plate was removed from the large format volume,
THE STORYOF THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR
published by Peter Fenelon Collier & Son, New York, MCM (1900).
- ZERO tears, creases, toning, of folds.
- Slight water discolorations at the white margins, but only extending to the image itself at the UPPER LEFT EDGE of the sky.
Stirring image of the fighting widely covered in the papers in the States, reported by Pulitzer correspondent Stephen Crane and the New York Herald’s Richard Harding Davis.
A bareheaded Trooper leads with a battle-tattered 45-Star
NATIONAL ENSIGN
as men on.the left flank direct fire at this Spanish blockhouse, a fortified sugar refinery. Troops on the right are sustaining casualties an an Officer directs the men forward with his sword.
This scene captures the action of U.S. Regulars and Cavalry (fighting on foot) on
Kettle Hill
, reported at the time as ‘the charge up San Juan Hill’ which established T.R., Theodore Roosevelt, formerly Secretary of the Navy, as COLONEL Roosevelt of the famed “Rough Riders” and catapulted him, with the assistance Henry Cabot Lodge to the the Governorship of New York and the Presidency.
Christy has faithfully captured the details of the troops new Krags, with Bayonets fixed, Mills Cartridge Belts, M1874 Canteens, Campaign Hats, navy blue Shirts and Santiago blue Trousers.
*****
This will be shipped flat, securely packed.
*****
Biography of Howard Chandler Christy (from ‘lafayette edu’)
Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952) was born on Meigs Creek in Morgan County, Ohio, on 10 January 1873 to Francis Marion Christy and Mary Matilda Bone Chandler Christy. At the age of two his family moved to a farm near Duncan Falls in Muskingum County. Christy’s parents encouraged his early artistic endeavors. At three he was already sketching animals and by four his father purchased him his first set of watercolors. Young Christy showed little interest in academics and left school at the age of twelve to work on his family’s farm. His favorite pastimes revolved around the Muskingum River, where he sketched, painted, fished, and rode the steamboats....
When the
U.S. Battleship “Maine”
was sunk in Cuba’s Havana harbor, twenty-five year old Christy offered his artistic abilities as a war correspondent for several magazines. Christy documented much of the major action of the Spanish-American War as well as the daily activities of the soldiers. These drawings were widely published back in the United States, which helped develop his reputation in the field of magazine illustration. He had the opportunity to travel with
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt’s "Rough Riders"
and a friendship between the artist and the future president was born. Christy’s sketches of Roosevelt, his soldiers, and other military personnel were later published as a portfolio entitled
Men of th
e
Army and Navy
in 1899.
Upon his return to New York at the completion of the war, Christy soon found himself labeled a 'military' illustrator. Dissatisfied with his constant war story commissions, Christy introduced his trademark "Christy Girl" in an illustration depicting a female figure in the pipe smoke of a war hero. Entitled
“The Soldier’s Dream”
and debuting in
Scribner’s
, this illustration was the first example of Christy’s ideal American woman. The "Christy Girl" developed into a beautiful, modern and educated young woman, who loved the both the outdoors and sports.
She appeared in many of Christy’s magazine illustrations, which neared 6,000 by 1905. Christy had become one of the most recognized magazine illustrators of his time, reaching a total audience of approximately 64 million Americans through an average of 4 magazine subscriptions per household. By 1910, Christy’s estimated annual earnings reached ,000. A single contract with William Randolph Hearst in 1912 paid him ,000 a year. Magazines in New York such as
McClures, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Collier’s
and
Hearst’s
commissioned Christy’s illustrations for their articles. During this period he also developed strong relationships with book publishers
Bobbs-Merrill
and
Moffat, Yard and Company.