|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Visit from the Old Mistress
|
In Winslow Homer’s 1876 painting, A Visit
from the Old Mistress, the living conditions
of these former slaves would appear not to have
improved since before the time of the Civil War.
Their dwelling is humble, and their homespun clothing
is shabby. Yet the relationship between them and
their former mistress is very different. The mistress
clearly assumes the stature of a guest in the home
of others. She now stands while one of her former
servants sits in a chair. Homer caught the awkward
tension of these women whose years of forced bondage
never fostered in them a sense of loyalty or affection
for their former overseer. |
|
Winslow Homer (1836–1910)
Oil on canvas, 1876
Smithsonian American Art Museum
|
|
|
|
|
