In Front of Yorktown

Winslow Homer's Civil War painting, In Front of Yorktown, is also known as Camp Near Yorktown, A Camp Scene, and possibly On the Picket Line.

According to Yale University Art Gallery: As an artist-correspondent for Harper’s Weekly during the Civil War, Winslow Homer accompanied General George McClellan's Peninsular Campaign, the first major Union army offensive. Here he depicts five soldiers on picket duty at night. Such small groups were sent ahead of the main camp on the dangerous mission of raising an alert if the Confederate troops advanced. Warmed by the campfire, two men sleep, while the others are lost in thought. Homer’s careful placement of the tree puts the viewer in the position of a hidden observer, silently spying on the unaware men.

Artist: Winslow Homer
Date: 1863-1866
Location: Yorktown, Virginia
Original medium: Oil on canvas
Orientation: Horizontal/Landscape
Image restored & enhanced by Rebel Seed Studio