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Artist
Charles Verschuuren, 1891 - 1955
Sitter
William Tatem Tilden, Jr., 10 Feb 1893 - 5 Jun 1953
George Herman ("Babe") Ruth, 6 Feb 1895 - 17 Aug 1948
Date
1926
Type
Drawing
Medium
Gouache on illustration board (Bainbridge board)
Dimensions
Image: 33.0 x 27.0 cm. (13 x 10 5/8")
Board: 36.2 x 30.8 cm. (14 1/4 x 12 1/8")
Topic
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Monocle
Equipment\Sports Equipment\Baseball Equipment\Baseball bat
William Tatem Tilden, Jr.: Male
William Tatem Tilden, Jr.: Sports\Athlete\Tennis
George Herman ("Babe") Ruth: Male
George Herman ("Babe") Ruth: Sports\Athlete\Baseball
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Object number
NPG.98.136
Exhibition Label
Charles Verschuuren’s caricature of tennis great Bill Tilden (1893–1953) and Babe Ruth evokes the art deco iconography of the Jazz Age in the 1920s. Verschuuren emigrated from the Netherlands to New York City in 1922 and became the cover artist for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle’s Sunday magazine.
Other contemporary athletes who excelled in their sports included boxer Jack Dempsey, golfer Bobby Jones, tennis champion Helen Wills, and Notre Dame’s legendary football coach, Knute Rockne. Their likenesses were widely circulated in newspapers and on magazine covers, indicative of society’s growing interest in the lives of celebrities during the 1920s.
La caricatura del gran tenista Bill Tilden (1893–1953) y Babe Ruth hecha por Charles Verschuuren evoca la iconografía art déco de la era del jazz en los años veinte. Verschuuren emigró de los Países Bajos a la ciudad de New York en 1922 y trabajó como ilustrador de portadas para la revista dominical del Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
Entre otros atletas del momento que sobresalieron en sus respectivos deportes están el boxeador Jack Dempsey, el golfista Bobby Jones, la tenista campeona Helen Wills y el legendario entrenador de fútbol de Notre Dame, Knute Rockne. Sus retratos se difundían ampliamente en los periódicos y portadas de revistas, reflejando el creciente interés de la sociedad en la vida de las celebridades durante la década de 1920.
