American Civil War Artists and Illustrators
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

This is a single-session, 90-minute PowerPoint presentation on selected artists and illustrators who experienced the American Civil War and then depicted what they had witnessed. Included in the presentation are representative paintings and drawings of people such as Winslow Homer and Alfred Waud, a brief description of the works shown in the class, a short biographical sketch of each person mentioned, and information about important magazines or institutions that published or displayed Civil War art and illustrations. Given the importance of and interest in the Civil War, visual representations of the conflict add a significant dimension to the constantly growing body of knowledge which reflect an American war that has been described as not only a watermark period in the history of the United States, but the nation's first modern war.