Grant and Lincoln at City Point, Virginia [recto]

Grant and Lincoln at City Point, Virginia [recto] was created by Winslow Homer in 1865, documenting a pivotal moment near the conclusion of the American Civil War. Classified as a drawing, the work is executed in charcoal on wove paper, a medium Homer frequently employed for observational sketches and journalistic assignments while working as an illustrator for publications like Harper's Weekly. This piece captures the solemn, vital interaction between President Abraham Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant at Grant’s headquarters in City Point, Virginia, just weeks before the war’s end.

The choice of charcoal allows Homer to focus intensely on form and atmosphere, using swift, expressive lines to suggest the figures and the makeshift military environment surrounding them. Unlike his later, highly refined oils, this work emphasizes the immediacy of direct observation, translating the gravity of the historical moment through stark tonal contrasts and an economy of detail. The drawing serves as a powerful artifact from the Civil War era, showcasing Homer's emerging role as one of the preeminent artists documenting the contemporary experience.

This drawing is characteristic of the artistic and cultural production of the American period stretching from 1851 to 1875. Homer’s shift toward realist subject matter, concentrating on historical events and daily life, solidified his standing in the burgeoning field of American art. The piece offers scholars and viewers essential insight into the creative process of the artist, functioning potentially as a preliminary study for more elaborate compositions that followed the end of the conflict.

Today, this key historical work resides within the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art. Due to its cultural importance and classification, high-resolution digital prints of the drawing are often made available through public domain initiatives, allowing wider educational access to Homer's remarkable documentation of these consequential figures in American history.