Reuterdahl, Henry, 1871-1925

Henry Reuterdahl (August 12, 1871 – December 21, 1925) was a Swedish-American painter highly acclaimed for his nautical artwork. Reuterdahl had a long relationship with the United States Navy. During the Spanish-American War and the first part of the World War, he served as a correspondent. 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.

In 1917, he was appointed a Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve Force and the next year promoted to Lieutenant Commander and eventually honorably discharged in 1922. During the World War Mr. Reuterdahl contributed with his brush huge naval paintings for the campaign to float Liberty Bonds, one of which he painted on a large signboard erected in front of the State, War and Navy Building here and another on Forty-second Street, near Fifth Avenue, in New York. His art is represented at the Naval Academy by ten naval paintings presented to the Navy by the late George von L. Meyer, former Secretary.

The name Reuterdahl was like a household word in the American Navy because of the artist’s numerous contributions to its pictorial history and the many friendships had had formed with officers while aboard ship making marine pictures or painting mural decorations on the bulkheads of the officers’ mess rooms. He had decorated the ward rooms of many of the ward rooms of American battleships and destroyers, and for the Delaware, since scrapped, had painted a scene picturing that battleship with her guns in action. It was one of the most notable of his wardroom decorations.

Additionally, Reuterdahl painted marine murals for Vincent Astor’s yacht Noma, Harold S. Vanderbilt’s schooner yacht Vagrant, and the yacht Viking, owned by George D. Baker, Jr. For the Missouri State Capitol, he painted the naval mural “We Are Ready Now.”