Thanksgiving Day in the Army – After Dinner: The Wish-Bone
Original title: Thanksgiving Day in the Army – After Dinner: The Wish-Bone (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. VIII)
kurzbeschreibung
Winslow Homer's 1864 wood engraving 'Thanksgiving Day in the Army – After Dinner: The Wish-Bone' places the viewer inside a Civil War military camp. With the holiday meal finished, soldiers relax over pipes and cigars, and one of them holds up the wishbone. The illustration was made for Harper's Weekly.
Description
Three soldiers anchor the foreground: two sit on a bench while a third stands beside them, smoking. The seated man on the left has a pipe, the middle one a cigar, and so does the man on his feet. Tents and other soldiers in conversation fill the space behind them. Plates and a coffee cup on the ground point to the meal just ended.
Context
The engraving appeared in Harper's Weekly on December 3, 1864, a periodical with a wide readership during the Civil War. Homer was working as an illustrator for the paper at the time, recording the everyday life of soldiers. A Thanksgiving subject gave readers on the home front a glimpse of what the troops were doing.
Impact
This quiet, ordinary moment feels understated and documentary. Homer's precise linework gives the figures a natural presence and draws the viewer into camp life. Showing relaxation after a meal strikes a human note against the usual images of war.
Technique
For this print the design was cut into a wood block and then printed. The monochrome gray palette emphasizes contrasts and the graphic's delicate lines. Homer used the method to render details such as faces and the texture of the tents accurately.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)