Of Mules and Men
Winslow Homer’s Rainy Day in Camp
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15010651 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Akela Reason (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 92-105 |
| Publication date | 2016-03-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Art (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1073-9300 • E-ISSN: 1549-6503 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/686550 |
| OpenAlex | W2292982717 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 1 |
This article situates Winslow Homer’s last painting of the Civil War, Rainy Day in Camp, within the Reconstruction context in which it was painted. The image shows Yorktown, Virginia, in 1862, where Homer experienced drenching rains, insects, disease, scarce rations, and other hardships, while awaiting a battle that many believed would end the war. Homer’s image alludes to the popular association of Yorktown with the Revolutionary struggle of 1781. Furthermore, within the image Homer embedded a caricature of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis in the form of a forlorn mule. By looking at the tradition of representing Davis and the Confederacy as a mule or donkey, the painting can be considered a summation of the war and a commentary on Southern manhood
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Battle · Donkey · Painting · Spanish Civil War · Art History and Market Analysis · History · Photography and Visual Culture · Visual Culture and Art Theory
| Highly cited | No |
|---|