Existing comment:
Dwight F. Davis 1879–1945
The tennis event that is known today as the Davis Cup originated in 1900, when Dwight F. Davis and three other members of the Harvard University tennis team invited a team of British players to compete in an "International Lawn Tennis Challenge." Davis devised the format for the tournament and commissioned a silver trophy to be awarded to the winners, for which he personally paid the substantial sum of $1,000.
Davis went on to serve in World War I and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism. Here, Sargent represents him in military uniform, with the medal displayed prominently on his chest. Shortly before this drawing was made, Davis had been appointed assistant secretary of war by President Warren G. Harding. He went on to become secretary of war under President Calvin Coolidge, in 1925, and served as governor general of the Philippines from 1929 to 1932.
Charcoal on paper, 1923
Private collection
This is the National Portrait Gallery sign in the exhibit. |