Campaign Sketches: Coffee Call

Campaign Sketches: Coffee Call by Winslow Homer American, 1836–1910, is a compelling example of early documentary printmaking created at the height of the American Civil War in 1863. This work is classified as a tint lithograph, executed on heavy ivory wove paper, which was often folded for distribution. As a printmaker, Homer utilized lithography to rapidly disseminate his observations of the conflict to a mass audience across the United States.

Homer was employed as an illustrator, frequently embedding himself with Union troops, and his visual output focused heavily on the daily activities and mundane realities of military life rather than grand battles. The subject of Coffee Call depicts a necessary pause in the camp routine, where soldiers gather to receive their rations of coffee, a vital staple that offered both warmth and energy. Homer’s technique, employing the nuanced washes of the tint lithograph process, captures the quiet exhaustion and camaraderie among the troops, emphasizing realism over idealized heroism. This print forms part of a series detailing the daily existence of the common soldier, cementing the artist’s reputation as an astute visual chronicler of the era.

The decision by Homer to focus on these human-scale, unvarnished scenes marked a significant moment in American art toward realist documentation. These popular Campaign Sketches provided civilians with an authentic window into the experience of the United States forces. As a historically significant Print, the work is preserved in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Through works like this, which are often now entering the public domain, we gain critical insight into the visual culture and military history of the period.