Reuterdahl, Henry, 1871-1925

<p>Henry Reuterdahl (August 12, 1870 – December 21, 1925) was a Swedish-American painter highly acclaimed for his nautical artwork. He had a long relationship with the United States Navy.</p>

<p>In addition to serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Naval Reserve Force, he was selected by President Theodore Roosevelt to accompany the Great White Fleet voyage in 1907 to document the journey. In addition to his artwork, he was a frequent writer on naval topics, and served as an editor of Jane's Fighting Ships.</p>

<p>Henry Reuterdahl was hand-chosen by President Roosevelt, as one of American's leading maritime painters to accompany the fleet and document the voyage on canvas. His work was widely accepted in many books and magazines and his ability to capture everyday events quickly and effectively made him ideal for this task. A Lieutenant in the United States Navy, Henry Reuterdahl, 18711-1925, was best know for his paintings of Navy warships and recruiting posters for World War I, though he did exhibit in the 1913 Armory Show, in New York City. He also painted landscaptes in a kind of tapestry-like, pointillist, impasto style. His trip with the fleet was aboard the USS Culoga where he was able to observe the other ships from the ship's deck and bridge as they appeared to port and starboard in formation steaming.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this great artist did not accompany the fleet on the entire voyage. Henry was also active with his opinions, and unbeknownst to the President, Reuterdahl had published an article in McClure's Magazine, January 1908, "The Needs of our Navy." His critical article, inspired by his discussions with William S. Sims, Naval Aide to President Roosevelt, discussed the armored belts of the battleships, ability of the gun batteries to fire during pitching seas, and the design of ammunition shafts aboard the ships.</p>

<p>By the time the article was published Henry had already departed with the fleet. A Congressional probe ensued, angry over the issues Reuterdahl and Sims had brought up regarding fleet readiness just prior to going to sea and possibly meeting the Japanese fleet in war. With the implication of his article he was no longer deemed worthy of traveling with the fleet and was put ashore in Punta Areas, Chile to find his own transportation home. The work at left shows Rio de Janeiro harbor with the fleet at anchor.</p>

<p>His artwork is limited to the first portion of the cruise. His transportation home must have taken him through Magdalena Bay as he did complete some illustrations of target practice.</p>

<p>Henry Reuterdahl (1871-1925) was a maritime illustrator born in Malmö, Sweden in 1871. After being sent to illustrate the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, he decided to remain in the United States where he began work as an illustrator for Chicago Graphic. Reuterdahl became a household name after he did a series of vivid illustrations of navy warships for Harper’s during the Spanish-American War. In addition to publishing nautical illustrations for numerous magazines, Reuterdahl displayed his own artwork at the Armory Exhibition in 1913, served as Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War I, and worked as the American editor of the warship-enthusiast publication Jane’s Fighting Ships.</p>

<p>In 1907, Theodore Roosevelt selected Reuterdahl to accompany and illustrate the sixteen battleships of the Great White Fleet as they circumnavigated the globe. While Reuterdahl’s abilities to capture everyday events at sea were up to the task, his forays into journalism would cut the journey short. Just as the fleet was set to depart and parade America’s new naval power before the world, Reuterdahl published an article “The Needs of Our Navy,” in McClure’s Magazine. The article catalogued poor design features of the new battleships that severely limited the “navy’s ships and fighting ability” (Chisholm 515). Besides criticizing these engineering defects, Reuterdahl went on to blame the navy’s bureau system whose lack of direct contact with the sea “compels it to perpetuate mistakes”(Reuterdahl 259-60). Historian Robert O’Connell says the article “hit like a bombshell” and scandalized the new fleet, with newspapers and magazines across the country printing editorials expressing anxieties about the navy (O’Connell 124). Reuterdahl left the Great White Fleet after it passed through the Strait of Magellan amidst reports that that he had been expelled from the journey by Theodore Roosevelt. Retuerdahl’s article eventually led to a reorganization of the Department of the Navy five years later, and the artist would travel with the fleet on several more occasions.</p>

<p>Reuterdahl began working as an illustrator for in 1902 when he provided pictures for the maritime story by . His early work for is noteworthy for its (Jane 383) and for realistic depictions of ships at sea. In March 1914, Reuterdahl published three pictures in the magazine that he had worked on during his 1907 voyage with the Great White Fleet. These works reflect more of an expressive impasto style than his earlier works, while still remaining faithful to the ships depicted. For instance, in which appeared in the of , the visible brushstrokes of the artist serve to highlight rather than obscure several minute features of the gunboat deck (55.3: 308). Scribner’s Magazine The Echo William H. MacHarg Scribner’s immense ability for subdued detail Destroyers in a Seaway, March 1914 issue Scribner’s When World War I broke out, Reuterdahl became a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve where he served as the head of the poster bureau. His work as a propagandist led to several notable works, including navy recruiting posters, a mural at the Missouri State Capitol, and a large Liberty Bond sign painted with N.C. Wyeth. Reuterdahl died in 1925 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.</p>

<p>Date of birth: August 12, 1871</p>
<p>Place of birth: Malmo, Sweden</p>
<p>Report of Death from St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington D. C. indicates date of his death is December 20, 1925</p>