Charge of the First Massachusetts Regiment on a Rebel Rifle Pit Near Yorktown (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. VI)
Original title: Charge of the First Massachusetts Regiment on a Rebel Rifle Pit Near Yorktown (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. VI)
kurzbeschreibung
Winslow Homer made this wood engraving in 1862 for Harper's Weekly, capturing the First Massachusetts Regiment storming a Confederate rifle pit before Yorktown. As was standard for printed graphics of those years, the picture stays within shades of gray.
Description
Soldiers with rifles and sabers push forward in the foreground, led by a mounted figure carrying a lance. Behind them more fighters line up across a landscape edged with trees. The layout depends on lines and shading that convey the drive forward and the force of the assault.
Context
During the American Civil War Homer served as an artist-correspondent for Harper's Weekly and produced this engraving after an event of the Peninsula Campaign in May 1862. Illustrated magazines relied on such wood engravings to inform a broad readership about the war.
Impact
The pressing arrangement and emphasis on movement create immediate tension. Because the sheet stays limited to grays and works with clear lines, it feels at once documentary and dramatic.
Technique
Homer used wood engraving, a relief process: the image is cut into a woodblock and then printed. Varying the depth of the cuts produces the fine strokes and gradations of shading. The print on paper measures 9 1/4 x 13 3/4 inches.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)