The Army of the Potomac - A Sharpshooter on Picket Duty

Although now most famous as a painter, Homer was also a graphic artist throughout his career and from 1857 provided illustrations for the New York-based Harper's Weekly. When the Civil War began in 1861, the magazine sent Homer to Virginia, where he made numerous drawings of the military. He seldom depicted actual fighting, instead candidly describing everyday camp life. The drawings were reproduced as wood engravings (professionals cut the blocks), the technique used to reproduce illustrations in magazines and books before the development of photomechanical processes.