Photo © Image courtesy of the Terra Foundation for American Art
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Photo © Image courtesy of the Terra Foundation for American Art
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Gallery Text

Within this vibrant scene of atmospheric flux, an opening within a roiling cloud layer reveals stars against a blue firmament. The barren tree in the foreground doubles as a pole for this celestial apparition of the “broad stripes and bright stars” of the U.S. flag. Following the rapid succession of political provocations that led to Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, Church channeled his belief in the divine righteousness of the Union cause into this patriotic visual spectacle.

As the sectarian conflict stretched from weeks into months, the oil sketch, with its allegorical river valley resembling the Catskills and the Hudson River, was translated into a popular chromolithograph. The prints were issued by the New York branch of Goupil & Cie as a subscription fundraiser to support the families of Union soldiers. This is one of the few lithographs from the series that Church painted by hand.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
TL42458.1
People
Frederic Edwin Church, American (Hartford, CT 1826 - 1900 New York, NY)
Title
Our Banner in the Sky
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
1861
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/377171

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2100, European and American Art, 17th–19th century, Centuries of Tradition, Changing Times: Art for an Uncertain Age
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Oil paint over lithograph on paper, laid down on cardboard
Dimensions
19.1 × 28.9 cm (7 1/2 × 11 3/8 in.)
Frame: 33.2 × 42.9 cm (13 1/16 × 16 7/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object Number
TL42458.1
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2100 19th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 03/20/2023 - 03/20/2026

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu