Collage of historical images and cartoons of the American Civil War

Visual Culture of the American Civil WarA Special Feature of Picturing US History

Campaign Sketches: The Letter for Home.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Winslow Homer was living in New York City, studying painting and working as a freelance artist-correspondent for <em>Harper&rsquo;s Weekly</em>. In October 1861, at the age of 25 he set off to cover the Union army campaign in Virginia for <em>Harper&rsquo;s</em>. <em>The Letter for Home</em> is one of six prints from his series <em>Campaign Sketches</em> published by the Boston lithographer Louis Prang. The portfolio of 11 by 14 inch prints was sold for .50 and promoted as containing spirited camp scenes sketched on the spot and drawn on the lithograph stone by Homer in high artistic style. This melancholy print presents a prevalent sentimental theme of the soldier&rsquo;s connection to home and family.At the beginning of the Civil War, Winslow Homer was living in New York City, studying painting and working as a freelance artist-correspondent for Harper’s Weekly. In October 1861, at the age of 25 he set off to cover the Union army campaign in Virginia for Harper’s. The Letter for Home is one of six prints from his series Campaign Sketches published by the Boston lithographer Louis Prang. The portfolio of 11 by 14 inch prints was sold for .50 and promoted as containing spirited camp scenes sketched on the spot and drawn on the lithograph stone by Homer in high artistic style. This melancholy print presents a prevalent sentimental theme of the soldier’s connection to home and family.

URL: http://gigi.mwa.org/netpub/server.np?find&catalog=catalog&template=detail.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=22806&site=public

Creator: Winslow Homer

Source: American Antiquarian Society

Publisher: Boston: L. Prang & Co.

Date: 1863