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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Surrender of the German Fleet to the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Surrender of the German Fleet to the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow

Artifact IDMO 2002.6.4
Object Type Painting
Artist (British, 1872-1962)
Dateca. 1919
Mediumpainting: canvas, paint (oil)
frame: wood, glass
Dimensionsframe H 42 in x W 52 in x D 3 3/4 in (106.7 cm x 132.1 cm x 9.5 cm )
 painting (on stretcher) H 32 1/8 in x W 42 in (81.6 cm x 106.7 cm )
Physical DescriptionAn oil on canvas painting of the November 21, 1918 "Surrender of the German Fleet to the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow with Admiral Sims and Rodman on the U.S. Flagship NEW YORK." It depicts a close-up side view of a group of naval officers and sailors standing on the deck of the battleship, USS NEW YORK, watching the arrival of a line of battleships. Several airships and a biplane are seen in the sky above. The painting is signed by the artist in the lower right corner: BERNARD F. GRIBBLE.

The painting is glazed and framed in its original 5½" ornate gilt wood frame.
Historical NoteThis painting is one of only two ever commissioned by Franklin Roosevelt.

It was painted while FDR was serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Wilson administration. In 1919, shortly after the end of World War I, he arranged to have noted British naval artist, Bernard Gribble, paint this scene of the surrender of the German fleet to Allied forces at Scapa Flow, Scotland, on November 21, 1918.

FDR had Gribble create two copies of this painting. A large version was commissioned for the Navy Department and placed in Roosevelt’s Washington, D.C., office. It is now in the collections of the United States Naval Academy. FDR also paid Gribble to create this smaller version, which he displayed in his Hyde Park, NY home, Springwood, after returning to private life.

When he was elected president, Roosevelt shipped this painting to the White House and had it installed in his private Study in the residence. Later, he returned it to Springwood, where it graced the home’s entry hall until his death in 1945.




Additional Details
Custodial History NoteOn FDR's death in 1945, the painting was inherited by John A. Roosevelt. It was purchased at auction in 2001 by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Credit LineGift of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesUnited States Navy Materials (National Archives Identifier 782673)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
On view