# Soldiers felling sapling, and weaving saplings into baskets \[verso\]

**Winslow Homer** (American, 1836–1910)  
1862  
graphite on straw paper  
sheet: 21.9 × 37.7 cm (8 5/8 × 14 13/16 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1996.121.7.b. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.98208.html).

## About this work

Quick pencil sketches catch soldiers at work, felling saplings and weaving them into gabions, the basket-like frames filled with earth that protected artillery positions during sieges. Winslow Homer made such drawings in 1862 while following the Union army in Virginia as an artist-correspondent for Harper’s Weekly, and they record the daily labour of soldiers rather than battles. These first-hand studies became the basis for illustrations and later for his early paintings.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Winslow Homer drew this in 1862, aged 26. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

This is a drawing of various sketches related to woodcutting or carpentry. The drawing features several pencil sketches on tan paper. On the left side, there are depictions of a barrel or basket, and beneath it, several outline sketches of figures engaged in activities involving woodwork. The right side of the drawing shows a figure bent over a large beam or branch. The sketches are simple, with minimal detail, capturing the basic form and movement of the figures and objects involved in woodwork-related activities.

_Description from the National Gallery of Art._

### How it was made

- **Graphite.** Pencil. Graphite has been used for drawing since the 1500s; in 1795 Nicolas-Jacques Conté mixed it with clay, so its hardness could be graded.

### [Winslow Homer](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/winslow-homer)

American, 1836–1910; born in Boston, Massachusetts; died in Prouts Neck, Maine

Homer began as an illustrator, covering the Civil War for Harper’s Weekly, and first made his name in painting with scenes of soldiers and country life. A stay at the fishing village of Cullercoats on the English coast in 1881–82 turned him towards the sea, and from 1883 he lived at Prouts Neck, Maine, painting the Atlantic in all weathers. He was also a fluent watercolourist in the Adirondacks, Canada and the Caribbean, and The Gulf Stream draws on those southern journeys.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Drawing
- The artist was 26
- Real size: about 8½ × 15 in (22 × 38 cm). The 11 × 14 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: group, Soldiers, Civil War
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1634.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1634/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/soldiers-felling-sapling-and-weaving-saplings-into-baskets-v-nga-98208).