Officer and Aide Inspecting a Squadron 1863 - 1864

Winslow Homer made this drawing called Officer and Aide Inspecting a Squadron using graphite on paper. The American Civil War was a watershed in the country’s history, and its images were shaped by the war’s political context. As a visual reporter embedded with the Union Army, Homer was closely involved in producing and disseminating images of war. What interests me in this drawing is Homer’s ability to convey the distance between officers and enlisted men. Although this work shows the military hierarchy, the artist is not making propaganda or stirring up patriotism. Instead, he seems to be making a sincere effort to record what he saw. Art historians use primary source documents and visual analysis to understand the context in which art is made. By considering Homer’s drawing in the context of the Civil War, we can better understand the social and political forces that shaped it.