The Army of the Potomac – A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. VII)

Winslow Homer|Harper's Weekly|Harper & Brothers

November 15, 1862 · Wood engraving · Drawings and Prints

In one of his most striking compositions, Homer describes a Union rifleman perched on a tree limb, drawing a bead on a Confederate mark across the lines. The expertly balanced rifle and glinting eye indicate a marksman’s skill even as his precarious pose suggests that the soldier could himself easily become a casualty of war. At this point in his career, Homer had begun to focus on painting oils, and this wood engraving relates to a canvas now at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. When the engraving appeared in Harper’s Weekly in November 1862, the painting was not yet finished, so the print acted as a form of advance publicity and is today as well known as the oil.

Artist

Winslow Homer|Harper's Weekly|Harper & Brothers

Date

November 15, 1862

Medium

Wood engraving

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1929