Colonel Wilson

Winslow Homer Civil War Art:

Colonel Wilson of Wilson's Brigade

The illustration at right is a Winslow Homer illustration of Colonel Wilson.  The illustration is from a Mathew Brady Photograph.  It shows Homer's unique lithography style.  On the face and head of the subject he creates perfect tonal rendition by carefully crating an array of delicate lines.  This level of detail is reserved only for the face and head . . . on the jacket and clothes he uses broad parallel lines, as if in a hurry to finish the lithograph. The image is the cover illustration of the May 11, 1861 edition of Harper's Weekly

May 11, 1861 - Colonel Wilson of Wilson's Brigade (Click on Image for Enlarged View)

Colonel Wilson was a noted character around New York City in the 1860's.  He was a famous leader of the "Mozart Democracy, and had joined Fernando Wood in the famous bolt from Tammany Hall. He figured prominently in almost every fight associated with New York City democracy, and was a feared character around the city.  He was a noted prize fighter and had made a name for himself in the ring.

A Note to our Readers

We acquired the images above for the purpose of digitally persevering them on this site for all to enjoy.  With the digital archive complete, we are making the original, 140 year old illustrations available for purchase.  By selling these original illustrations, we are able to acquire more material to archive on this site.  If you are interested in purchasing one of the original Harper's Weekly leafs on this page, contact paul@sonofthesouth.net The leafs are available for a price of $250 a piece, and the proceeds will go to continue to expand the resources on this site.