Home from the War

As the first set of army volunteers completed their service in the Civil War, "home from the war" prints grew in popularity. It comes as no surprise that familial reunion serves as the dominant theme of this tumultuous image by Winslow Homer. The "house divided" was one of the leading metaphors of the Civil War. In the faces of these soldiers and civilians there is a glimpse of hope that the house will be reunited once again.

Regarded as one of the great American Realists of the nineteenth century, Homer is known primarily for his large body of works in oil and watercolor. However, he also had an early career as a freelance illustrator, making drawings for wood engravings that were reproduced in mass-circulation periodicals such as Harper's Weekly. In 1998, the Brooklyn Museum received a generous gift of more than 250 wood-engraved illustrations by Homer from Harvey Isbitts.