First major Smithsonian exhibition on 1898 rise of U.S. imperialism opens April 28

President William McKinley by Francisco Oller y Cestero, oil on canvas, 1898. Collection of Dr. Eduardo Pérez and family.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery announced the April opening of its exhibition, “1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions,” marking the 125th anniversary of the year that the United States acquired overseas territories and emerged as a world power.

Opening April 28, “1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions” is the first major Smithsonian museum exhibition to examine the War of 1898 (often called the Spanish-American War), the Congressional Joint Resolution to annex Hawai‘i (July 1898), the Philippine-American War (1899–1913) and the legacy of this controversial chapter in history.

Through the lens of portraiture and visual culture, this exhibition of more than 90 objects presents the perspectives of those who advocated for overseas expansion, those who opposed it and those who tried to have a say on their political futures when the United States brought Cuba, Guam, Hawai‘i, Puerto Rico and the Philippines into its sphere of power.

“1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions” is co-curated by Taína Caragol, curator of painting, sculpture and Latino art and history, and Kate Clarke Lemay, historian, with assistance from Carolina Maestre, curatorial assistant for Latino art and history.

Online audiences will have access to exhibition components and educational resources through a dedicated website in English and Spanish with translations of exhibition texts available in CHamoru, Filipino and ʻŌlelo Hawai‘i. A press preview of the exhibition with the curators will be held Thursday, April 27, 10–11:30 a.m. RSVP to [email protected].