Skip to main content

Leonard Wood

Leonard Wood
Artist
John Singer Sargent, 12 Jan 1856 - 15 Apr 1925
Sitter
Leonard Wood, 9 Oct 1860 - 7 Aug 1927
Date
1903
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
76.5 x 63.8cm (30 1/8 x 25 1/8")
Frame: 91.4 x 78.7 x 6.4cm (36 x 31 x 2 1/2")
Topic
Symbols & Motifs\Medal
Costume\Dress Accessory\Epaulet
Leonard Wood: Male
Leonard Wood: Politics and Government\Governor
Leonard Wood: Medicine and Health\Physician\Surgeon
Leonard Wood: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\World War I
Leonard Wood: Military and Intelligence\Army\Army physician\Army surgeon
Leonard Wood: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Major General
Portrait
Place
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.96.50
Exhibition Label
Upon earning a medal of honor in 1885 for his service in the campaign against Apache leader Geronimo, Leonard Wood began his military ascent. But it was the War of 1898 that propelled his meteoric rise and that of his friend, Theodore Roosevelt. Together, they founded the First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, popularly known as the Rough Riders. Their success led to Wood’s appointment as the military governor of Cuba in 1899.
Although Wood initiated important projects, including a successful campaign to eradicate yellow fever, he ruled with an iron fist and disenfranchised most Cubans. In 1902, Cubans protested in front of Wood’s residence, the governor’s palace, after the United States introduced the Platt Amendment. The amendment stipulated that the end of the U.S. military government was contingent on the ongoing U.S. oversight of Cuban affairs.
In 1903, John Singer Sargent painted this portrait of Wood in uniform, visually conveying his authority. Later that year, Wood became military governor of Moro Province in the Philippines.
Tras ganar una medalla de honor en 1885 por su actuación en la campaña contra el líder apache Gerónimo, Leonard Wood comenzó su acenso militar. Pero fue la Guerra de 1898 lo que propulsó su meteórica escalada y la de su amigo, Theodore Roosevelt. Juntos fundaron el Primer Regimiento Voluntario de Caballería, más conocido como Rough Riders (jinetes duros), cuyo éxito le valió a Wood el puesto de gobernador militar de Cuba en 1899.
Aunque Wood inició proyectos importantes tales como la exitosa campaña para erradicar la fiebre amarilla, gobernó con mano férrea y privó de sus derechos a la mayoría de los cubanos. En 1902, los cubanos protestaron frente a su residencia, el Palacio del Gobernador, a raíz de la imposición de la Enmienda Platt, que estipulaba que el fin del gobierno militar de EE.UU. estaba supeditado a su continua supervisión de los asuntos cubanos.
En 1903 John Singer Sargent pintó a Wood con su uniforme, señalando visualmente su autoridad. Ese año Wood pasó a ser gobernador militar de la provincia del Moro en Filipinas.
Provenance
(Sotheby’s New York, May 22, 1996, lot 30); purchased NPG
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view