General Thomas

Winslow Homer Civil War Art:

General Thomas Swearing in the Volunteers at Washington DC

The illustration at right is a Winslow Homer illustration of General Thomas Swearing in the Volunteers. It is the cover illustration on the April 27, 1861 edition of Harper's Weekly.  The sketch is an illustration by Homer, and continues the 1861 theme we see of Harper's using Homer more as an illustrator and less as simply a lithographer.

April 27, 1861 - General Thomas Swearing in the Volunteers (Click on Picture for Larger View)

The event is occurring on the grounds of the United States Capitol.  This illustration shows the unmistakable Winslow Homer style, developed early on in his work as a lithographer, where he relies primarily on straight, parallel lines to achieve tones in the black and white image. This image was created shortly after the bombardment of Fort Sumter, and the start of the Civil War.  Harpers, by running this picture and accompanying story on the front page, was trying to show popular support for the war in the North.

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.