Spotlight: The Spanish-American War through Photographs

by Sarah Bseirani, posted in Photographs, U.S. Army

The Spanish-American War waged from April 1898 to August 1898. As the name suggests, the main opponents during the war were the United States and Spain, while the core issue was that of Cuban independence from the Spanish. The Americans backed Cuban independence, and even took to sending American troops to Cuba in support. Almost simultaneously, the United States also sent support to the Philippines to assist in Philippine Independence from Spain.

Recently, the Still Picture Branch at the National Archives and Records Administration digitized the series of photographs 94-SAW: Spanish-American War, including the Philippine Insurrection, 1898 – 1900. The series consists of Colonel Charles A. Dempsey’s album pages of photographic prints, which depict a variety of subject matter related to the Spanish-American War. The photographs include a variety of scenes such as Army officers, barracks, marketplaces, and other scenes in both the Philippines and Cuba circa 1898-1900.

Included below are select images from the series 94-SAW: Spanish-American War, including the Philippine Insurrection, 1898 – 1900. To view all of the photographs within the series, visit our online catalog.

Original Caption: “Spanish Cathedral, Cienfuegos, Cuba.” 94-SAW-20 (NAID: 158095348)
Original Caption: “Plaza opposite Cathedral.” 94-SAW-21 (NAID: 158095350)
Original Caption: “Old Spanish Castle off Rowell Barracks, Cuba.” 94-SAW-15 (NAID: 158095337)
Original Caption: “Band and Officers, 2nd Infantry, same place [Cienfuegos, Cuba.]” 94-SAW-11 (NAID: 158095325)
Original Caption: “Market, Santa Ana, [Philippine Islands], Taken by Jack Landis, Co. I. 32nd Infantry.” 94-SAW-5 (NAID: 158095313)
Original Caption: “Crossing Porac River, January 1900. 32nd Infantry in [Philippine Islands], Taken by Jake Landis.” 94-SAW-1 (NAID: 155510276)
Original Caption: “Captured Rifles, Manila, [Philippine Islands], Taken by Jake Landis.” 94-SAW-2 (NAID: 155510290)

There are no known copyright restrictions on the photographs within the series 94-SAW: Spanish-American War, including the Philippine Insurrection, 1898 – 1900. Please refer to our publication statement below. If you have questions about still photographs, you may contact the Still Picture Branch at stillpix@nara.gov.

​PUBLICATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FURNISHED BY THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES STILL PICTURE BRANCH-RRSS

Generally, copies of photographic records held by the National Archives may be published without special permission or additional fees. The National Archives does not grant exclusive or non-exclusive publication privileges. Copies of Federal records, as part of the public domain, are equally available to all. A small percentage of photographs in our holdings are or may be subject to copyright restrictions. The National Archives does not confirm the copyright status of photographs but will provide any information known about said status. It is the user’s responsibility to obtain all necessary clearances. Any use of these items is made at the researcher’s or purchaser’s own risk.

Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation. They also help inform the public about government photographic resources that are available.

*Because so many of our requests for information cite credits and captions that appear in published works, the inclusion of a photo number in hard copy and electronic publications is of great assistance to both us and the public.

Examples of preferred credit lines are as follows:

  • National Archives photo no. 210-G-C241
  • Credit National Archives (photo no. 83-G-41368)
  • Courtesy National Archives, photo no. 83-G-41430
  • National Archives (210-G-A14)

If using a large number of our images, the National Archives will appreciate receiving copies of publications that contain our photographs. Such copies can be sent to the Still Picture Branch or the Library, National Archives and Records Administration.