Picnicking in the Woods (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. II) 1858

Winslow Homer created this print, "Picnicking in the Woods," for Harper's Weekly, a popular illustrated newspaper. Here we see a leisurely scene of apparent middle and upper-class white Americans enjoying themselves in nature. This image appeared in 1858, at a time of immense social division in the United States. Just three years later, the Civil War would break out. What's so striking about this seemingly innocent scene, is the way it obscures the realities of race and class during this period. The figures in the trees are African American. But rather than being included in the social scene, they exist on the periphery, literally in the background, reinforcing a rigid social hierarchy. It invites us to think critically about whose stories are being told and whose are being left out. It reminds us that even the most seemingly innocent images can be deeply embedded in the power structures of their time. How does witnessing this impact us today?