Surrender of a Confederate Soldier

Julian Scott, Surrender of a Confederate Soldier, 1873, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nan Altmayer, 2012.23
Julian Scott, Surrender of a Confederate Soldier, 1873, oil on canvas, 19 3815 12 in. (49.239.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nan Altmayer, 2012.23
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Artwork Details

Title
Surrender of a Confederate Soldier
Artist
Date
1873
Dimensions
19 3815 12 in. (49.239.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Nan Altmayer
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Occupation — military — soldier
  • History — United States — Civil War
  • Object — other — flag
Object Number
2012.23

Artwork Description

At the age of fifteen, Julian Scott lied about his age to enlist in the Union army. He rose from drummer boy to infantryman, and for his service he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. After his discharge he became an artist, initially focusing on images of heroic moments of sacrifice during the war.He painted this Confederate soldier with dignity. The raised white flag is simultaneously a surrender of the individual, his family, the Confederate cause, and the Southern way of life. The soldier’s wife cradles their infant child, while the enslaved man with them looks away, perhaps envisioning the changes in his own future. Scott imbued this work with respect for his Confederate counterpart, sounding a hopeful note for the future.

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      In this podcast, curator Eleanor Jones Harvey discusses 6 featured paintings from The Civil War and American Art exhibition. This episode looks at Surrender of a Confederate Soldier by Julian Scott. The Civil War and American Art examines how America's artists represented the impact of the Civil War and its aftermath. The exhibition follows the conflict from palpable unease on the eve of war, to heady optimism that it would be over with a single battle, to a growing realization that this conflict would not end quickly and a deepening awareness of issues surrounding emancipation and the need for reconciliation. Genre and landscape painting captured the transformative impact of the war, not traditional history painting. 

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