Cavalry Soldier
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Savage Homer, Jr.
Accession Number
1912-12-106
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer, one of America's foremost realist painters (1836–1910), created *Cavalry Soldier in 1863, at the height of the Civil War. As a young artist and illustrator for *Harper's Weekly*, Homer embedded with Union troops, sketching soldiers amid the conflict's harsh realities. This work, classified as a figure study, likely captures the stoic vigilance of a cavalryman—a key figure in the war's mobile warfare—reflecting Homer's firsthand observations of military life. Homer's style bridged journalism and fine art, emphasizing raw honesty over romanticism. His depictions of soldiers human...