It’s the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, and Waynesboro Public Library will be hosting a program about art from the front lines thanks to a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Library of America.
“Pencil and Power: Special Artists of the Civil War” will be held Saturday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. It is presented by The Virginia Historical Society Center for Virginia History.
Photography was still in its infancy during the Civil War. Cameras weren’t able to capture movement because of long exposure times and photos couldn’t be reproduced in the newspaper. The job of providing the public with images of battle and camp life fell to brave men known as “Special Artists” and they illustrated these scenes with pencil, crayon, and brush. This program explores the adventurous lives of Winslow Homer, Alfred Waud, and Frank Vizetelly and the methods they used to bring their images to the public.
Out of 180 applications from 44 states, WPL was chosen to receive a grant for a $500 stipend to host public programming on the themes of the Civil War. It is in conjunction with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s Civil War 150 project. This grant also includes Library of America readers (discussion guides) that are available through the library.
The Library of America is an award-winning nonprofit publisher dedicated to preserving America’s best and most significant writing in handsome, enduring volumes, featuring authoritative texts. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of history education, gilderlehrman.org.
The Virginia Historical Society Center for Virginia History features award-winning exhibitions and programming that are entertaining and educational for all ages.
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