Halt of a Wagon Train, from Harper's Weekly, February 6, 1864
1864
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
1996.63.123
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the rugged world of the American Civil with Winslow Homer's *Halt of a Wagon Train*, vivid wood engraving published in *Harper's Weekly on February 6, 1864. As a pioneering Realist artist and special correspondent for the magazine, Homer captured the gritty realities of military life during this pivotal conflict. This print depicts a momentary pause in a Union wagon train—essential for transporting supplies across treacherous terrain—featuring donkeys, wagons, and male figures at a makeshift campsite, evoking the endurance and camaraderie of soldiers far from home. Homer's masterful...
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...