Stone Blockade off Charleston, South Carolina (from Confederate War Etchings)
1861–63
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Image: 3 3/4 x 7 15/16 in. (9.5 x 20.1 cm) Sheet: 7 15/16 x 10 3/8 in. (20.2 x 26.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1938
Accession Number
38.13.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
Adalbert John Volck created this etching, *Stone Blockade off Charleston, South Carolina*, between 1861 and 1863 as part of his *Confederate War Etchings* series. The work captures a pivotal moment in the American War, when Union forces attempted to seal off Southern ports like Charleston by sinking-laden ships to create impassable barriers. Through delicate lines and careful shading typical of the etching medium, Volck conveys the tension along the harbor’s rivers, where boats navigate the obstructed waters. Etchings like this one played an important role during the conflict, allowing artist...
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...