Brooklyn Museum: American Art: "Any Thing for Me, If You Please?"--Post Office of the Brooklyn Fair in Aid of the Sanitary Commission

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"Any Thing for Me, If You Please?"--Post Office of the Brooklyn Fair in Aid of the Sanitary Commission

The United States Sanitary Commission was created during the Civil War to aid the wounded and their families. In 1864 the Brooklyn Sanitary Fair on Montague Street raised over $400,000 for the benefit of the commission. Here Homer depicts one of its fund-raising attractions, a “Post Office” where people could pay to send messages to others at the fair. Usually, appealing young ladies worked in the “Post Office” transcribing and sending the letters—attracting the men, who would go there to flirt with them.

Artist: Winslow Homer, American, 1836-1910
Medium: Wood engraving
Dates: 1864
Dimensions: Image: 13 5/8 x 9 in. (34.6 x 22.9 cm) Sheet: 16 x 11 3/8 in. (40.6 x 28.9 cm)
Collections: American Art
Museum Location: This item is not on view
Accession Number: 1998.105.87
Credit Line: Gift of Harvey Isbitts
Image: Overall, 1998.105.87_bw_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph