“A Soldier’s Dream”

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

We normally think of war as a time of action, but Civil War (1861-1865) troops also spent a good deal of time in camp, either training or awaiting combat. The uncertainty of the future and their separation from home caused the thoughts of many soldiers to turn to their families and loved ones. This poignant print captures a Union soldier’s longing to be safely reunited with his wife and children. The image, by Phelps and Watson, Beekman Street, New York City, romanticizes the neatness and cleanliness of the soldier and of the camp. It was made to sell to the domestic market, perhaps to provide reassurance in the light of the photographs of Matthew Brady and others, which portrayed the more realistic horrors of war.

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Details

Item typeArtwork
Print
CreatorPhelps and Watson
Datecirca 1863
TopicMilitary, Wars, Battles
EraCivil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877
EventAmerican Civil War. 1861–1865
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPainting
Dimension details; ;
Catalog #2000.38
View this item in our curatorial database →
Phelps and Watson. A Soldier’s Dream. ca. 1863. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/2000-38/. Accessed on December 5, 2024.

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