"Our Next President" (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XII) 1868

Winslow Homer made this print, "Our Next President," for Harper's Weekly in 1868 amidst the backdrop of post-Civil War America and the upcoming presidential election. At a dinner gathering, a young woman offers a toast, seemingly to the portrait of Ulysses S. Grant on the wall, but the title suggests Homer is making a sly joke about the prospect of women in politics. Consider the historical moment: the 15th Amendment, granting Black men the right to vote, was on the horizon, yet women remained disenfranchised. The print sparks a dialogue about gender roles and political power. Is Homer satirizing the idea of a female president, or is he subtly advocating for women's inclusion in the political sphere? This image, distributed widely through Harper’s Weekly, would have invited debate about these issues in parlors and public spaces across the country. The ambiguous nature of Homer's print underscores the complexities and contradictions inherent in the era’s discourse on equality and representation.