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Fort Sumpter is seen in flames, the fire of smoke and battle rises and partly obscures the Capitol, symbolizing the dark days just one year ago; the farmer leaves the plow in the furrow, the blacksmith his anvil. On the hills eastward rises the Bunker Hill Monument, linking the patriotism of our fathers with that of the sons.
Images such as this did much to sustain support for the Civil War as casualties mounted and Americans weighed the cost of continuing the fight. The fact an unknown individual copied the image in greatly enlarged scale reinforces its patriotic appeal.
Exhibition History“American Folk Art: Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum,” Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, January 25, 2001 – March 24, 2001.
Artist
Unidentified Artist
(American)
Uprising of the North
Date1862-1865
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsSight: 22 5/8 × 29 in. (57.5 × 73.7 cm)
Object numberN0273.1961
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Stephen C. Clark
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextThis painting is based on a picture by Charles Parsons published in Harper's Weekly on April 19, 1862, the first anniversary of the bombardment of Fort Sumpter. In a letter to the magazine, the artist described the symbolism in detail:Fort Sumpter is seen in flames, the fire of smoke and battle rises and partly obscures the Capitol, symbolizing the dark days just one year ago; the farmer leaves the plow in the furrow, the blacksmith his anvil. On the hills eastward rises the Bunker Hill Monument, linking the patriotism of our fathers with that of the sons.
Images such as this did much to sustain support for the Civil War as casualties mounted and Americans weighed the cost of continuing the fight. The fact an unknown individual copied the image in greatly enlarged scale reinforces its patriotic appeal.
Exhibition History“American Folk Art: Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum,” Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, January 25, 2001 – March 24, 2001.
On View
Not on view
c. 1870-1880
