Army of the Potomac – Sleeping on Their Arms (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. VIII) 1864

Winslow Homer created this print, "Army of the Potomac – Sleeping on Their Arms," for Harper's Weekly during the American Civil War. Observe the soldiers in repose, their bodies sprawled across the field, a scene of exhaustion. The rifles clutched in their arms become symbols of vigilance and impending conflict. Consider the motif of sleep, a temporary retreat from the horrors of war. Throughout art history, we see sleep depicted as a moment of vulnerability, a pause before action. Think of classical sculptures of sleeping figures, or Renaissance paintings where slumber reveals inner truths. Here, sleep is uneasy. The soldiers are not at peace. They are suspended in a state of readiness, poised to return to battle. The emotional weight of this image lies in the tension between rest and the ever-present threat of violence. This cycle of anticipation and violence has echoed through time, reappearing in various forms across different eras, a testament to the enduring impact of conflict on the human psyche.