Filling Cartridges at the United States Arsenal, at Watertown, Massachusetts (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. 5, no. 238, cover) 1861

Winslow Homer created this print for "Harper's Weekly" in 1861. It shows the structured spaces inside the United States Arsenal, where workers manufacture cartridges. The division of space into two distinct zones is striking. Above, women are positioned in a well-lit, ordered assembly line, overseen by a uniformed man. Below, a separate group of men work in a similar setting. The composition uses these spatial divisions to suggest different roles within the war effort. The linear arrangement of workers and the geometric regularity of tables create a sense of industrial order. This formal structuring might reflect the increasing mechanization of labor and the standardization of war materials. Yet, by contrasting male and female labor, Homer complicates simple notions of progress, inviting us to consider the social and economic implications of wartime production.