Aurelius Battaglia, 16 Jan 1910 - 29 May 1982 Search this
Sitter:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 30 Jan 1882 - 12 Apr 1945 Search this
Medium:
India ink, pencil and paint on board
Dimensions:
Sheet: 45.2 x 25.7 cm (17 13/16 x 10 1/8")
Mat: 71.1 x 55.9 cm (28 x 22")
Type:
Drawing
Date:
c. 1928-32
Exhibition Label:
Born Dutchess County, New York
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s haughty expression in this caricature conveys his aristocratic background. Roosevelt’s ancestors had settled in colonial Dutch North America in the mid-seventeenth century. By the time of the American Revolution, they enjoyed the status of landowning elites in New York’s Hudson River Valley, occupying leading roles in the state’s commercial, civic, and social life. Roosevelt was drawn—as were many of his peers from the upper-middle and upper class—to seek power through public service and politics. He was also fascinated by the example of his famous fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, whom he declared “the greatest man I ever knew.”
This drawing was probably made when Franklin D. Roosevelt was serving as governor of New York (1928–32). He had already served as a state senator for New York and as assistant secretary of the navy under President Woodrow Wilson, and he would soon go on to be elected president.
Nacido en Dutchess County, Nueva York
La expresión altiva de Franklin D. Roosevelt en esta caricatura alude a sus orígenes aristocráticos. Sus ancestros se habían establecido en la colonia holandesa en Norteamérica a mediados del siglo XVII. Para la época de la Revolución Estadounidense, la familia pertenecía a la élite terrateniente del valle del río Hudson, en Nueva York, y tenía prominencia en la vida comercial, cívica y social del estado. Roosevelt –como muchos de sus congéneres de clase alta o media alta– buscó ejercer poder desde el servicio público y la política. También estaba fascinado por el ejemplo de su famoso primo lejano, Theodore Roosevelt, a quien consideraba “el hombre más genial que he conocido”.
Este dibujo se hizo posiblemente cuando Franklin D. Roosevelt era gobernador de Nueva York (1928–32). Ya había sido senador en la legislatura de Nueva York y secretario asistente de la marina de guerra en el gobierno de Woodrow Wilson. Pronto alcanzaría la presidencia del país.
