Homer Winslow (1836-1910). Life in Camp. Boston: L. Prang & Co. 1864. 

23 chromolithographs (of 24), each 2 1/2 x 4 1/8 in. Lacking "Riding on a Rail" from Part I. 

VERY RARE NEAR-COMPLETE SET OF WINSLOW HOMER'S CIVIL WAR CHROMOLITHOGRAPH SERIES "LIFE IN CAMP"

Winslow Homer was already a well-established artist who was illustrating for Harper's Weekly regularly by the start of the War. Upon the outbreak of hostilities, he spent 5 weeks in McClellan's Army of the Potomac during the Peninsular Campaign. His sketches, published in Harper's, were greatly appreciated by the homefront, desperate for news and updates of the fathers, brothers, and sons. 

In 1863, he produced a series of 6 lithographs titled Campaign Sketches meant to convey the personal experience of war. This series of cards, issued in two sets of 12 carte de visite size cards, was published in 1864 as a follow-up. A letter to Prang from Homer indicates that Homer almost certainly drew the images for these lithographs on the stone himself: "The stone was received all right. I shall commence it very soon, probably send it to you week from Wednesday." (Neely & Holzer, p. 69-70). 

We typically only cards as singletons, and rarely do sets appear for acquisition. Although part I is lacking "Riding on a Rail", the set is otherwise complete and in excellent condition. 

A rare opportunity to acquire one of the finest series of Civil War illustrations. 

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