The Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States at the Capitol 1861

Editor: This is a print of "The Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States at the Capitol," created in 1861 by Winslow Homer. It’s a wood engraving, and I’m struck by how… overwhelming the crowd looks, a sea of hats facing the Capitol. What jumps out at you when you look at this? Curator: You know, what gets me is the *moment* it captures, all those tiny lines coalescing into this pivotal scene. It’s not just an inauguration; it's right before the storm. Can you almost feel the weight of history bearing down on Lincoln as he takes the oath? Homer caught the hope and apprehension hanging in the air. Editor: I can see that. The impending storm you mentioned – the Civil War – gives the print an extra layer of depth, doesn’t it? Like, this is the last moment before everything changes irrevocably. I wonder how much of that context would've been on people's minds at the time. Curator: Exactly! And consider how Homer, early in his career, chose to depict this scene through the lens of mass media, reaching countless homes through *Harper’s Weekly*. Was he deliberately crafting a narrative, controlling the story that folks would tell around their hearths about that day? Or maybe just selling newspapers! Editor: I didn’t think about it that way. Framing historical events for public consumption. And the sheer size of the crowd really emphasizes the weight of Lincoln's responsibilities. Curator: Precisely. A burden etched in ink, mirrored in those thousands of faces, all turned towards him. It really makes you wonder, doesn’t it, about the stories those individuals carried that day? What did *they* hope for? Editor: That’s such a cool idea to consider all of these stories together as a larger history that can speak back to our present moment. I think I’m gonna carry that with me. Curator: Brilliant! Let’s keep chasing the untold tales whispering behind every great artwork. There’s a novel waiting to be written in every single one!