The Spanish–American war led to the 1898 Philippine–American war, a fraught period in U.S. history. On February 15 of that year, a mysterious explosion in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, blew the towering U.S.S. Maine to smithereens, killing 266 of the 354 crew members. This led to a naval blockade of Cuba and a declaration of war against Spain, its colonizer. On May 1, the U.S. Navy defeated the Spanish fleet in the Philippines; before being informed of the campaign’s success, President McKinley ordered soldiers to march on Manila. These successful operations were the beginning of U.S. expansionist culture. That year of turbulent change is the subject of this collection of portraits. Artworks from Puerto Rico, Guam, Spain, and the Philippines round out the show. —Elena Clavarino