The Army of the Potomac - A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty - Winslow Homer
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed wood engraving by Winslow Homer, originally published in 1862, depicting a Civil War sharpshooter positioned in a tree.
This wood engraving, published in Harper's Weekly on 15 November 1862, captures a soldier from the American Civil War positioned in a tree. Winslow Homer worked as a freelance illustrator for the publication during the conflict, providing visual reports from the front lines. The composition focuses on the solitary figure of the sharpshooter, whose body is angled along the branch to maintain balance while he aims his rifle.
The print demonstrates the technical precision required for mid-nineteenth-century mass media. The engraver translated Homer's original painting into a series of lines and cross-hatching to simulate texture and shadow. The pine needles, the rough bark of the tree, and the fabric of the soldier's uniform are rendered with distinct mark-making techniques. A canteen hangs from a branch, serving as a quiet detail that grounds the scene in the daily reality of military life.
Unlike many contemporary depictions of the war that focused on grand battle scenes or heroic charges, this work presents a detached, observational view of a single soldier. The perspective places the viewer at eye level with the marksman, creating a sense of proximity to the subject. The lack of background detail keeps the focus on the tension of the moment, as the soldier remains still in his elevated position. This print reflects the transition in Homer's career from commercial illustration to the more personal, observational style that would define his later work in oil and watercolour. It remains a primary visual record of the equipment and conditions experienced by soldiers during the conflict.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Army of the Potomac - A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty - Winslow Homer
Artist Biography
Winslow Homer
He moved from illustration to painting without formal training, learning oil technique largely by observation. His early paintings are genre scenes of rural American life: children playing, women on croquet lawns, the kind of post-war pastoral that the public wanted. They sold well. He was dissatisfied with them.
In 1881 he went to Cullercoats, a fishing village in northeast England, and spent two years painting the women who waited on the shore for the fishing boats to return. The Cullercoats paintings are darker, more dramatic, and more serious than anything he had made before. The sea became his subject.
He moved to Prouts Neck, Maine, in 1883 and lived there, mostly alone, for the rest of his life. The Maine paintings, The Gulf Stream, Northeaster, Right and Left, are about the confrontation between human beings and the ocean. The figures are small. The water is enormous. The light is cold. He painted the sea the way Constable painted clouds: from direct observation, over years, until he understood its behaviour.
His watercolours, made on fishing trips to the Adirondacks, Florida, and the Bahamas, are freer and more experimental than the oils. Tropical sunlight and clear water brought out colours he did not use in Maine. He died in 1910, at seventy-four.
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