The Army of the Potomac - A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty

Winslow Homer made this wood engraving, "The Army of the Potomac - A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty," in 1862. It was produced for *Harper’s Weekly*, a popular periodical that shaped public opinion during the American Civil War. Homer’s image depicts a Union soldier perched high in a tree, rifle in hand, ready to shoot. The sharpshooter’s hidden position makes him a kind of invisible menace, a frighteningly modern form of warfare. Published during a time of intense national division, the image reflects a Northern perspective on the war. Homer, working for a widely read magazine, was helping to rally support for the Union cause. To understand this image fully, we can consult publications like *Harper’s Weekly* and other period sources to understand the context in which it was made and consumed. The social and institutional histories of art are crucial to understanding its power and meaning.