← Winslow Homer

Rebels Outside Their Works at Yorktown, Reconnoitring [sic] with Dark Lanterns (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. VI)

Original title: Rebels Outside Their Works at Yorktown, Reconnoitring [sic] with Dark Lanterns (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. VI)

Artist

Winslow Homer

Date

May 17, 1862

Medium

Wood engraving

Dimensions

image: 10 7/8 x 9 1/4 in. (27.6 x 23.5 cm) sheet: 16 1/8 x 10 15/16 in. (40.9 x 27.8 cm)

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928

kurzbeschreibung

Winslow Homer's 1862 wood engraving presents Confederate soldiers on a night reconnaissance near Yorktown, Virginia, using shaded lanterns. The illustration formed part of a picture report in Harper's Weekly, capturing an episode of the American Civil War.

Description

An oval frame encloses the nighttime scene: several uniformed men move in a line, some carrying rifles, others a darkened lamp. Trees and a damaged wall emerge in the background. Black and white with bold outlines and pronounced shading defines the sheet. The magazine header with date and issue number appears at the top, the picture title and the draughtsman's name at the bottom.

Context

On May 17, 1862, the illustration appeared in Harper's Weekly, one of the leading illustrated magazines in the United States. Homer followed the Civil War as a war correspondent, drawing scenes of military routine. The siege of Yorktown in spring 1862 was a significant event of the Union Army's Peninsula Campaign. Showing Confederate soldiers from the enemy's perspective was unusual and points to Homer's interest in the human side of war.

Impact

A quiet tension hangs over the nocturnal view. The oval frame and dark contrasts draw the eye to the soldiers' movements and the mysterious light.

Technique

Wood engraving is a relief printing process: the image is cut into a woodblock and then printed. For publication in the magazine, a professional xylographer transferred Homer's drawing to the block. Printing was in black and white with fine lines and hatching that create effects of light and shadow.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)