1908: The Great White Fleet Gift

August 10, 2019

By AHNZ

Good news! Have heard back from Sagamore Hill, President Theodore Roosevelt’s old house. Remember, we were wondering what ever happened to the casket given to Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet on behalf of the people of New Zealand 101 years ago this month?

Found something! Found something else….no casket, a book!

Gift to the Teddy Roosevelt, August 1908. This book contains 24 sepia photographs including various New Zealand scenes and is on display at the President’s old house in New York. The front cover shows the view north over Auckland Harbour including the big flagstaff that was at the summit of Mt Victoria at that time.

Thank you for your inquiry.

Sagamore Hill has in the collection an Album, from the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Sir Joseph G. Ward on behalf of the people of New Zealand as a souvenir of the visit of the Great White Fleet.

The album is full leather, 25 page gilt edged book containing 24 5″ x 7″ sepia photographs and various New Zealand scenes, one to a page, each page decorated with a full color painting of different native flora and preceded by an illuminated title page, that reads “presented to Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America by Hon Sir Joseph G. Ward, P.C., K.C.M.G, Prime Minister on behalf of the people of New Zealand as a souvenir of the visit of the American Fleet to New Zealand, Auckland august 10th 1908”

Affixed to the front of the cover is an intricately inlaid wood panel 4″ thick in the center of which is a harbor scene that is surmounted and framed by a foliate border of silver and jade that includes 2 Maori figures and is further framed by a L-shaped piece of silver in each of the four corners of the panel, each containing a Maori figure. Within the frame are 2 three-dimensional native trees, the crossed flags of the US and the United Kingdom, three ships of the American battle fleet and the words in gold “Visit of the American Fleet to New Zealand,” three small gold stars (a fourth is missing) and on a separate panel, the date “August 1908” A similarly inlaid panel with a central 8 point star is also affixed to the rear cover.

The book was designed and executed by the Great Printing and Publishing Co. of Auckland, NZ and the silver work is marked “A. John Auckland.”

The book is contained in a brown box lined with felt and open able from right to left.

Hope this helps- I also have attached a photo of it.

Susan Sarna

Museum Curator

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Not a bad consolation prize.

Update August 2024: The casket is not lost! It’s in Auckland and to be auctioned this week.

See also 1908: The Great White Fleet, AHNZ

—
Ref. 1908: The Great White Fleet

Like    Comment     Share