Holiday in Camp â Soldiers Playing "Foot-Ball"
July 15, 1865
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. Abram S. Hewitt
Accession Number
1951-137-2
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Holiday in Camp – Soldiers PlayingFoot-Ball"***Winslow Homer, American, 1836–1910, July 15, 1865* Created just months after the Civil War's end in April1865, Winslow Homer's *Holiday in Camp – Soldiers Playing "-Ball"* captures a moment of levity among Union soldiers. Dated July 15, 1865, the work depicts troops enjoying an informal game of "foot-ball"—an early, rudimentary version of the sport—in their camp during a holiday break. Homer, who served as a special artist-correspondent for *Harper's Weekly* during the war, often sketched such scenes from life, bringing the human side of mili...