Nat’l Portrait Gallery Hosts Free Event Studying 1898 Origins of American Empire
By • June 1, 2023 0 1554
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1898 Study Day
Kick off June with a free event at the National Portrait Gallery! Next Friday, June 9, join Portrait Gallery curators for an exploration of the beginnings of the U.S. empire, followed by a public reception.
The Conquerors (Culebra Cut, Panama Canal) by Jonas Lie, oil on canvas, 1913. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Conquerors (Culebra Cut, Panama Canal) by Jonas Lie, oil on canvas, 1913. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
National Portrait Gallery
8th and G St. NW
McEvoy Auditorium
Friday, June 9
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Dr. Lanny Thompson, professor emeritus at the University of Puerto Rico, will deliver a public keynote address highlighting themes from the landmark exhibition “1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions,” the first major examination of U.S. imperialism by a museum.
Marking the 125th anniversary of the beginning of U.S. overseas expansion, “1898” examines the War of 1898 (the Spanish-Cuban-American-Filipino War), the Joint Congressional Resolution to annex Hawai‘i, and the Philippine-American War. Through the lens of portraiture and visual culture, the exhibition provides a panoramic perspective on these conflicts and shines a light on the public debates surrounding them.
President William McKinley by Fransisco Oller y Cestro, oil on canvas, 1898. Collection of Dr. Eduardo Pérez and family.
Thompson’s address, titled “Terrains of Visuality: Photography, Cartography, and Disciplinary Architecture in the Formation of the U.S. Imperial Archipelago,” builds on his-decades long career as a scholar of sociology and anthropology at the University of Puerto Rico. He is the author of the groundbreaking book Imperial Archipelago, which helped launch the comparative study of the U.S. overseas territories.
Thompson will examine the visual representations of the U.S. empire, the colonial gaze and their relation to early systems of governance in Puerto Rico and across the so-called “imperial archipelago.” The hour-long program will include an audience Q&A.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/terrains-of-visuality-in-the-us-imperial-archipelago-tickets-638132831477
