The War for the Union 1862--A Bayonet Charge, from Harper's Weekly, July 12, 1862
1862
Medium
Graphic Arts-Print
Classification
Graphic Arts-Print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Ray Austrian Collection, Gift of Beatrice L. Austrian, Caryl A. Austrian and James A. Austrian
Accession Number
1996.63.119
Tags
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer's *The War for the Union1862--A Bayonet Charge*, published in *Harper's Weekly* on 12, 1862, captures the raw intensity the American Civil War. a special artist for the influential illustrated newspaper, Homer sketched frontline scenes, translating them into wood engravings that brought distant battles into American homes. This print depicts a dramatic Union bayonet charge, the brutal hand-to-hand combat that defined much of the conflict. H's realistic style, rooted in the emerging Realism movement, eschews romantic heroism for stark authenticity. The graphic arts medium—meticul...
About the Artist
Winslow Homer · 1836–1910
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was one of America's greatest painters and a preeminent figure in 19th-century American art. Largely self-taught, Homer began his career as a commercial illustrator and Civil War correspondent for Harper's Weekly before becoming renowned for his powerful marine subjects and landscape paintings. His mastery of both oil and watercolor, combined with his uncompromising reali...