Holiday in Camp – Soldiers Playing "Foot-Ball" – Sketched by Winslow Homer (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. IX) 1865

This wood engraving by Winslow Homer, titled “Holiday in Camp – Soldiers Playing ‘Foot-Ball’,” captures a lighthearted moment during the American Civil War. Created in 1865, shortly after the war’s end, the scene depicts Union soldiers engaging in a spirited game of football. Homer’s dynamic composition, with the soldiers’ bodies intertwined in a tangle of limbs and a sense of movement, illustrates the energy and camaraderie of the moment. Despite the somber context of the war, the image highlights a brief respite and offers a glimpse into the daily life of Union soldiers. The engraving was originally published in *Harper’s Weekly*, a popular illustrated newspaper, making it accessible to a broad audience at the time.