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The Drummer Boy
William Morris Hunt (American, 1824–1879)
about 1862
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
91.76 x 66.36 cm (36 1/8 x 26 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Samuel H. Wolcott
Accession Number66.1055
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsPaintings
Following the election of anti-slavery president Abraham Lincoln, the southern states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. When the war began, both sides believed it could be quickly won, and patriotic feeling surged. This image, painted early in the war, shows a barefooted boy beating the drum for volunteer soldiers.
InscriptionsLower right: WMHunt [WMH in monogram]
ProvenanceAbout 1862, sold by the artist to Joshua Huntington Wolcott (1804-1891), Boston; 1891, by descent to his daughter-in-law, Edith Prescott (Mrs. Roger) Wolcott (1853-1934); 1934, by descent to her son, Samuel H. Wolcott (1881-1964), Boston; 1964, by inheritance to his wife, Hannah S. Wolcott (1881-1976); 1966, gift of Hannah S. (Mrs. Samuel H.) Wolcott to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 14, 1966)