Great Fair Given at the City Assembly Rooms, New York, December, 1861, in Aid of the City Poor
Winslow Homer
American Art
This engraving shows a charity event for the poor held in Manhattan during the first holiday season of the Civil War. Organized by a local women’s group, the benefit was, according to the accompanying text in Harper’s Weekly, “a complete success. The array of beauty and fashion which gathered round the tables has never been surpassed, and the proceeds will prove a handsome fund.” Like the Brooklyn Sanitary Fair three years later, this popular gala provided a variety of entertainments for an urban audience and was orchestrated primarily by women volunteers.
MEDIUM
Wood engraving
DATES
1861
DIMENSIONS
Image: 13 3/8 x 20 3/8 in. (34 x 51.8 cm)
Sheet: 16 1/8 x 22 in. (41 x 55.9 cm)
ACCESSION NUMBER
1998.105.65
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Harvey Isbitts
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and
we welcome any additional information you might have.
