The Army of the Potomac - A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty - [From a Painting by W. Homer, Esq.] 1862

Curator: This anonymous print, titled "The Army of the Potomac - A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty," really captures a moment of tense stillness. What strikes you first? Editor: The sheer vulnerability. Elevated, exposed, yet participating in a violent theater. A Black soldier, camouflaged in a tree, and aiming a rifle. There’s a certain irony in this concealment, given the historic visibility and hyper-visibility of Black bodies. Curator: Absolutely. It is based on a painting by W. Homer, Esq., and it presents this soldier, this individual, almost as a part of the natural landscape. Editor: But is he truly a part of it, or merely occupying a space he is forced to defend? The Civil War was ostensibly fought to end slavery, yet Black soldiers faced discrimination within the Union Army. This image, while seemingly valorizing, hints at the complex racial dynamics at play. Curator: I agree. I see both the bravery and the burden. The way the light catches the rifle, the shadow on his face…it’s a powerful contrast, full of contradictions. Editor: Yes, the composition forces us to confront those contradictions. It's a stark reminder of the entanglement of race, war, and representation.