Harvard Art Museums > TL42458.1: Our Banner in the Sky Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Our Banner in the Sky (Frederic Edwin Church) , TL42458.1,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Mar 20, 2025, https://hvrd.art/o/377171. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. 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 View this object's location on our interactive map 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 The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. 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
