Charles Johnson Post (American, 1873-1956)

Frederick Funston in Cuba 

Watercolor on paper

Signed to lower left

Visible 9 1/4 in. x 15 1/2 in., matted and framed to 15 3/8 in. x 21 5/8 in. 

A portrait of Frederick Funston when he fought for the Cuban Liberation Army. He can be seen wearing a white drill tunic and trousers, as well as a straw hat that is pinned back with the Cuban flag at the front. Most likely a machete is secured to his left hip, while a crossbody pouch is draped across his chest. 

Funston (1865-1917) was originally born in New Carlisle, Ohio, and was rejected from the United States Military Academy, most likely because he was only 5' 4" and 120 pounds. He was, however, permitted to serve in the Cuban Liberation Army to fight for Cuba's independence from Spain. While in Cuba, he contracted malaria and lost 25 pounds. He was given a leave of absence from the Cuban Army and was sent home, upon which he was commissioned as a colonel for the 20th Kansas Infantry in the Spanish-
American War. This started a storied career for Funston in the U.S. military, including fighting in the Philippine-American War, commanding the Presidio of San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake, and aiding in the hunt for Pancho Villa. He died before President Woodrow Wilson could appoint him to head the overseas American Expeditionary Forces. 

Johnson Post was born in New York City, where he eventually studied at the Art Students League under artists such as John Twachtman, Kenyon Cox, J. Carroll Beckwith, and Harper Pennington. He enlisted as a private and was stationed with the 71st New York Infantry in 1898 in Cuba, perhaps where he crossed paths with Funston. In his obituary from The New York Times, the paper described him as an "artist-journalist" — at one point, he was the art director for Harper's Weekly and Harper's magazine. 

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[Art, Cuban Art, Latinx Art, Latino Art, Latin-American Art, Caribbean Art]