Thanksgiving Day in the Army. After Dinner: The Wish-Bone 1864

Editor: Here we have an anonymous engraving, "Thanksgiving Day in the Army. After Dinner: The Wish-Bone," whose date is unknown. It’s a scene of apparent leisure, yet there’s a melancholy feeling. What strikes you about it? Curator: The engraving offers a glimpse into the constructed realities of soldiering, particularly during the Civil War era. How might the ritual of the wishbone, usually associated with familial warmth, be re-contextualized within the all-male, often brutal, environment of military life? Editor: So, you see it as a forced attempt to create normalcy? Curator: Precisely. The very performance of this ritual, within the context of the army, becomes a commentary on longing, displacement, and the attempt to maintain humanity amidst dehumanizing conditions. Do you notice how the landscape is barren, yet the figures attempt to create a moment of conviviality? Editor: It’s like they’re trying to hold onto a past that's slipping away. Thanks, that makes me see it differently. Curator: Indeed, these visual tensions encapsulate the complexities of identity, tradition, and survival during wartime.