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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.
Illustration for Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park: The Donkey
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Illustration for Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park: The Donkey

Artifact IDMO 1956.54
Object Type Drawing
Artist (American painter and printmaker, 1904-1981)
Date1949
Mediumpaper (illustration paper, matboard), ink, paint (gouache)
Dimensionsoverall (framed) H 11 3/8 in x W 13 15/16 in x D 7/8 in (28.9 cm x 35.4 cm x 2.2 cm )
Physical DescriptionAn original pen and ink and ink wash drawing with gouache highlights showing a young Franklin D. Roosevelt on a donkey. He is seated in a wicker, twin-seated pony saddle (see MO 1952.363) on the donkey which is being led by a nurse and accompanied by a dog. The drawing is signed by the artist in ink the lower right of the image: Olin Dows © 1949.

The drawing is matted, glazed, and framed in a 1" whitewashed wood frame. The title on the mat is hidden by the frame.
Historical NoteThis drawing is one in a series of original ink wash drawings created by Olin Dows for his book, "Franklin Roosevelt at Hyde Park," published in 1949 by American Artists Group, Inc. Olin Dows spent two years writing the text and drawing the book's 174 illustrations. This illustration appears on page 7 of the book where it is captioned: FRANKLIN ON THE DONKEY, WITH BUDGY AND HIS NURSE MAMIE.

The Dows family had been lifelong friends and neighbors of the Roosevelts and were frequent guests at events at Hyde Park, NY and in Washington, DC, both before and during the presidency. In 1939, Olin Dows received a commission to design and paint the murals in the Rhinebeck, NY Post Office. In 1941, at the suggestion of President Roosevelt, Dows was commissioned to design and paint the murals in the Hyde Park Post Office as well, and worked closely with FDR in the conception and design of the murals.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Olin Dows in 1955.
Credit LineGift of Olin Dows
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesHudson River Valley Materials (National Archives Identifier 778818)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view