A grand salute of whistles took place on Dewey's Day
Date1901
Artist
Isaac Walton Taber
(American illustrator, 1857–1933)
Illustration Citation"The Toots of a Whistle," by I. W. Taber, in St. Nicholas, February 1901
MediumGouache and ink on illustration board
Dimensionssheet: 19 7/8 × 15 3/16 in. (50.5 × 38.6 cm)
Credit LineAcquisition Fund, 1991
Object number1991-6
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextIsaac W. Taber illustrated his own article describing how ships navigate through weather and obstructions by sounding their whistles in various ways. Dewey's Day celebrated Admiral George Dewey, who commanded the first major engagement of the Spanish-American War, after which the United States took full possession of the Philippines. Taber's text explains how this vast naval flotilla and the smaller boats greeted one another with their individual welcoming "toots of a whistle." Wind-whipped flags indicate a breezy day which buffets the small boat in the lower right but not the sturdy military ships. The skyline is visible through an atmospheric haze.Taber’s illustration conformed to the editorial policy of St. Nicholas, the leading children’s magazine of the period, which stated that two of its goals were to cultivate “an appreciation of fine pictorial art” and to “keep pace with a fast-moving world.”
