Bill Tilden and George Herman "Babe" Ruth

Object Details

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

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.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

1926

Object number

NPG.98.136

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

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")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Monocle

Equipment\Sports Equipment\Baseball Equipment\Baseball bat

William Tatem Tilden, Jr.: Male

William Tatem Tilden, Jr.: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Tennis

George Herman ("Babe") Ruth: Male

George Herman ("Babe") Ruth: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Baseball

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.98.136

Metadata Usage (text)

Not determined

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4f1d67808-9861-47bc-b10d-93152ce3f440