The War – Making Havelocks for the Volunteers (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. 5, no. 235, cover)
Original title: The War – Making Havelocks for the Volunteers (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. 5, no. 235, cover)
kurzbeschreibung
Winslow Homer drew a room full of women making havelocks for volunteers for the cover of Harper's Weekly on June 29, 1861. This wood engraving belongs among his early contributions to the paper and turns attention to home-front support for the war, part of the effort to equip troops during the American Civil War.
Description
Several women in long, carefully made dresses sit bent over their sewing. Behind them a window with closed shutters opens up, its sill holding potted plants; daylight through the opening falls on hands and fabric. The layout places the figures clearly toward the front and steps the depth of the room behind them. Lines set at varying density create the gradations of light and dark typical of wood engraving in those years.
Context
When the American Civil War began in 1861, women at home sewed havelocks, covers for military caps, for the soldiers. Harper's Weekly ranked among the most important illustrated magazines in the United States and ran such sheets as part of its war reporting. Homer was working as an illustrator for the paper at the time and recorded the civilian engagement of the population.
Impact
A quiet, almost peaceful mood governs the print and directs the eye to the women's patriotic task. How intently the figures work and how softly the light falls on them give the scene dignity and bring the war into the parlor.
Technique
For printing, the motif was cut into a wood block and then pulled. Clear separation of light and dark values and fine lines are characteristic of this process; gray tones arise by varying the density and direction of the strokes.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)