On to Liberty
Before coming to the United States in 1850, Kaufmann studied painting in his native Germany and fought in the 1848 popular uprisings in favor of German national unity. As a Union soldier in the American Civil War, he may have seen Confederate troops retreating with enslaved men, leaving behind women and children. Here, his portrayal of a group of fleeing figures indicates the lack of a clear route to liberty. Kaufmann based his Civil War scene on an 1859 composition of a similar subject, set in Brazil, by the French painter François-Auguste Biard.
Artwork Details
- Title: On to Liberty
- Artist: Theodor Kaufmann (American (born Germany), Uelzen 1814–1896 New York)
- Date: 1867
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 36 x 56 in. (91.4 x 142.2 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Erving and Joyce Wolf, in memory of Diane R. Wolf, 1982
- Object Number: 1982.443.3
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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