Life in Camp, Part 2: The Rifle Pit

Life in Camp, Part 2: The Rifle Pit

Winslow Homer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In 1864 Homer designed two series of lithographed collectors’ cards titled Life in Camp. Unlike his wartime images for Harper’s Weekly, the artist felt free to inject humor into these miniature comments on army life that include images of wives and sweethearts and soldiers enjoying themselves on leave. This card depicts a Zouave, or member of Union volunteer regiment whose North African–inspired uniform is distinguished by baggy trousers, a short jacket, and tasseled cap. By 1864 the war was entering its final months, and formerly sacrosanct subjects could be approached more lightly (see 47.91.25(90) for a card showing trench construction).

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Life in Camp, Part 2: The Rifle PitLife in Camp, Part 2: The Rifle PitLife in Camp, Part 2: The Rifle PitLife in Camp, Part 2: The Rifle PitLife in Camp, Part 2: The Rifle Pit

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.