The Bright Side

Winslow Homer (1865)

What are the many faces of war?

During the Civil War, both free blacks from the North and escaped slaves from the South (known as “contrabands”) served as mule drivers in the Union army quartermaster’s corps, which was responsible for moving supplies. Homer represented four men resting in the sun, awaiting orders to move camp. Their companion pokes his head out from the tent, staring at the viewer, who intrudes on their nap. His penetrating gaze acknowledges our presence and further connects us to the scene.

\ Artist

Winslow Homer

American

Born:

1836

Died:

1910

Death place:

Prouts Neck, Maine

When the Civil War began in April 1861, Winslow Homer was appointed an “artist correspondent” by Harper’s Weekly. Over the next few years, he witnessed life in the Union army firsthand. Many of the sketches he made served as the basis for illustrations published in Harper‘s, but toward the end of the war Homer also used them for his own paintings.

\ About

Medium

Oil on canvas

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd