Artwork
A Bit of War History: The Veteran
A Bit of War History: The Veteran is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Thomas Waterman Wood. It dates from 1866 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The depiction emphasizes the sitter's military bearing and civilian identity, linking personal experience of conflict with post-war societal roles.
The painting presents a veteran soldier as its central figure. Executed in oil on canvas in 1866, the work is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing. The depiction emphasizes the sitter's military bearing and civilian identity, linking personal experience of conflict with post-war societal roles.
By portraying a former combatant in civilian attire, the composition suggests a transition from battlefield to domestic life, reflecting the complex legacy of the American Civil War.
Technique & Style
The Veteran is executed in oil on canvas, measuring 71.8 × 51.4 cm. As a single figure study, the work depicts a soldier, consistent with the broader narrative series to which it belongs. The oil-on-canvas support allows for the detailed rendering characteristic of mid-19th-century American painting. No further information about handling, condition, or specific stylistic qualities is provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Thomas Waterman Wood created the oil-on-canvas painting A Bit of War History: The Veteran in 1866. The work depicts a soldier and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it resides in The American Wing. The painting measures 71.8 cm in height and 51.4 cm in width.
No specific details regarding the commission, original patron, or the chain of ownership prior to its acquisition by the museum are provided in the available records.
Legacy
A Bit of War History: The Veteran (1866) by Thomas Waterman Wood is an oil on canvas measuring 71.8 by 51.4 cm, held in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting belongs to Wood's three-part series A Bit of War History, which follows an African American man through the stages of contraband, recruit, and veteran. By portraying a returning soldier in civilian dress, the work contributes to visual narratives of post-Civil War and Reconstruction-era American life and remains part of scholarly discussions of 19th-century American genre painting.
Overview
Thomas Waterman Wood's 1866 oil on canvas painting, "A Bit of War History: The Veteran," presents a portrait of a soldier. This work is a notable example within the American Wing collection, capturing a figure from the post-Civil War era. The artist chose to depict a solitary individual, seated within a modest interior, reflecting on his experiences rather than engaging in heroic action.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Waterman Wood (1823–1903) was an American artist, born in Montpelier.
