Museum Collections
Luce Center
Roosevelt at San Juan
Object Number:
2000.766
Date:
1899
Medium:
Cardboard, paper
Dimensions:
Overall: 1 1/2 x 6 5/8 x 5 1/8 in. ( 3.8 x 16.8 x 13 cm )
Marks:
lithographed: on the box cover: "ROOSEVELT/ AT/ SAN JUAN/ STARRY FLAG SERIES/ COPYRIGHT 1899 CHAFFEE & SELCHOW, NEW YORK."
Description:
Card game "Roosevelt at San Juan" with fifteen playing cards in a paper covered cardboard box; each card has questions and answers pertaining to the Spanish-American War printed on one side; box cover lithographed with a medallion portrait of Teddy Roosevelt and rough riders attacking; box cover inscribed, "ROOSEVELT/ AT/ SAN JUAN/ STARRY FLAG SERIES/ COPYRIGHT 1899 CHAFFEE & SELCHOW, NEW YORK."
Gallery Label:
From a patriotic series of five games inspired by the Spanish-American War (1898), Roosevelt at San Juan and Schley at Santiago Bay celebrated war heroes Theodore Roosevelt and Winfield Scott Schley while teaching facts about the recent war. Schley, hardly a household name today, was the U.S. Navy commodore in command of the Flying Squadron during the victorious battle of Santiago. A later investigation found Schley guilty of negligence and misconduct during the battle.
Bibliography:
Hofer, Margaret K. "The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board & Table Games." New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.
Credit Line:
The Liman Collection
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.