Field Kitchen Fire
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Savage Homer, Jr.
Accession Number
1912-12-175-a
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer (1836–1910), one of America's foremost realist painters, created *Field Kitchen Fire* in 1862, amid the tumult of the Civil War. As a young artist and illustrator for *Harper's Weekly*, Homer embedded with Union troops, sketching the gritty realities of camp life. This work, classified as a study of figures, likely captures soldiers gathered around a makeshift fire in a field kitchen—a vital hub for sustenance amid the hardships of war. The title evokes the flickering warmth and camaraderie that sustained armies, offering a poignant glimpse into the human side of conflict. Homer...