Handkerchief

Description

This silk handkerchief was made in 1898 or 1899 to commemorate George Dewey’s victory at the Battle of Manila Bay, the first battle of the Spanish-American War. The center of this handkerchief is printed with a picture of Dewey framed in a laurel wreath. A caption below the portrait reads “Rear Admiral George Dewey, U.S.N., Hero of the Manila Fight.” The handkerchief’s border, printed to resemble the U.S. flag, is assembled of separate pieces of fabric that are stitched along the edges. Dewey was celebrated as a hero in the United States for his victory at Manila Bay, and in 1903 was promoted to Admiral of the Navy, the only person to ever receive that rank. This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017.