The Capture of Vigan

The Capture of Vigan

The image “The Capture of Vigan” depicts American sailors and soldiers coming ashore in the Phillipines during the conflict there, which lasted from 1899-1902. The caption of the image reads “Jackies from the battleship ‘Oregon’ and the gunboats ‘Callao’ and ‘Samar’ storming the Filipino town of Vigan on the Northwestern coast of Luzon, November 26. The Naval expedition was dispatched from Manilla to assist in the capture of Aguinaldo and to rescue Lieutenant Gilmore and boat’s crew of the ‘Yorktown’, captured by insurgents near Baler, Luzon, April 12”. “Jackie” was a nickname for American sailors based on their signature jacket of the time. This image is almost propaganda like in nature, as it depicts strong looking man bravely landing in the Philippines. This image served a dual purpose. On one hand, it was informing the American public of the progress of the war in the Philippines, and on the other, it painted the Americans fighting there as “heroic” and “brave”, and seemed to validate the American presence there, as it explains that they sailors were dispatched to help rescue their fellow Americans from insurgents. This image gives us insight into the political atmosphere of the 1890s, and a window into the political issues that would have been in the forefront of the minds of many of the characters of the novels of this time period.

Unknwon illustrator

Collier's Weekly, Vol Twenty-Four No 13, New York December 30, 1899

Collier's Weekly, New York

December 30, 1899

Still Image