Crossing the Pasture

Homer initially earned his living as a Civil War correspondent, sending sketches of military life to editors in New York for reproduction in illustrated periodicals. After the war, he created paintings that explored the lingering aftereffects of the conflict, speaking to many Americans’ hopes and anxieties about the future of the nation.

In Crossing the Pasture, Homer addresses the war indirectly through a sentimental scene of rural childhood. Two boys stand in a sunlit field, sharing the weight of a metal bucket. A stick slung over his shoulder, the eldest positions himself protectively between his barefoot younger sibling and a bull standing near a stone wall. Portraying shared labor and brotherly protection, Homer’s picture offers a tender image of sibling unity in the wake of a divisive war that pitted many family members against one another.

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)