Campaign Sketches: A Pass Time

Campaign Sketches: A Pass Time, created by Winslow Homer in 1863, is a historically significant lithograph capturing a quiet, non-combat moment during the height of the American Civil War. As an early example of Homer’s work as an artist-correspondent, the piece utilizes the medium of lithography, a printmaking technique based on oil and water repulsion. This method allowed for the rapid and relatively inexpensive creation of detailed prints, ensuring wide distribution across the United States during the conflict. Homer specialized in documentation, focusing on the everyday routines and the character of the Union soldier rather than glorifying battle.

The print depicts soldiers engaged in downtime, illustrating how military personnel occupied themselves between skirmishes. The title, Campaign Sketches: A Pass Time, directly references the leisure activity shown, elevating ordinary moments of rest into historical subjects. Homer’s subtle observation of these mundane activities provided the civilian public domain an intimate and authentic look at life in the field.

This work exemplifies the 19th-century demand for visual reporting that defined Homer’s career before he transitioned fully to oil painting. His Campaign Sketches series solidified his reputation for capturing authentic American experience during a period of national crisis. This classified print remains an essential document of the Civil War era and an important example of graphic art. This piece is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.