Buying a Substitute in the North during the War (from Confederate War Etchings)

Art Historical Context

Adalbert John Volck created this etching between 1861 and 1863 as part of his series *Confederate War Etchings*. A Baltimore dentist and Confederate sympathizer living in the North, Volck used his printmaking skills to comment on the American Civil War from a Southern perspective. The work captures a moment of wartime conscription, highlighting the controversial practice in states where wealthier men could pay substitutes to serve in their place. The etching’s small scale and fine lines make it an effective vehicle for sharp social commentary, allowing Volck to circulate pointed observations about inequality and the human cost of the conflict. Produced during the war itself, the print offers modern viewers a firsthand glimpse into the political tensions and moral debates that divided the nation. Today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of drawings and prints, *Buying a Substitute in the North during the War* remains a vivid example of how art served as both witness and critic during one of America’s most turbulent periods.

About the Artist

Adalbert John Volck · 1828–1912

Adalbert John Volck (1828–1912) led one of the more remarkable double lives in American art history. Born in Augsburg, Bavaria, he emigrated to the United States as a young man, eventually settling in Baltimore, where he built a distinguished career as a dentist. Yet beneath his professional respectability lay a fierce artistic talent and a passionate political identity that would find explosive e...