The Parting - "Buy us too" 1863

Editor: Here we have "The Parting - 'Buy us too'" by Henry Louis Stephens. It's a small print, maybe meant for a book? The scene is just heartbreaking. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: The raw plea in the title, the casual cruelty, it just hangs there. Stephens captures the economics of dehumanization, doesn't he? Notice how the color separates the figures. What does that evoke for you? Editor: A sense of division, of course. It's so matter-of-fact, which makes it even more disturbing. I hadn't considered the use of color like that. Curator: It’s a period piece, so there's a definite worldview being presented. But its emotional punch still lands. Editor: Absolutely. It makes you wonder about the artist’s intentions and what kind of statement he was trying to make.