"Rare" Civil War Etching "The Sanctuary" by E. Forbes Copy-righted 1876 Plate 40

Description

Rare Civil War Etching "The Sanctuary" by E. Forbes Copy-righted 1876 Plate 40. Authentic, Original Condition.
Edwin Forbes's original etching, "The Sanctuary" is printed upon thick nineteenth century wove paper and with full, large margins as published by the artist in 1876. It is the fortieth and final etching from his complete set of etchings dealing with the American Civil War. In many ways it is the greatest. The scene is self-explanatory. A Black family, escaping from slavery, has found the Union line. Their journey no doubt has been both dangerous and exhausting. The old man leans weakly on his cane, the mother lifts her arms skyward. Her son and his dog look on in wonderment. Few images in the history of Civil War art are as brilliantly depicted as this family group reaching freedom. The Sanctuary is thus Edwin Forbes's final, great statement. Through all the unbelievable waste and carnage of the war he seems to be saying, 'This is what we fought for'.
Title:
The Sanctuary
Artist:
Forbes, Edwin (New York, 1839 - 1895)
Date:1876 Medium:Original Etching Publisher:Edwin Forbes, New YorkNote:
Edwin Forbes:
One of the most important names in nineteenth century American Civil War art is that of Edwin Forbes. A highly skilled etcher, painter and illustrator, Forbes first devoted himself to studies of animal life. During the Civil War, however, he became the leading illustrative artist for Frank Leslie's, Illustrated Newspaper, New York, producing a large number of accurate, on-the-spot pictorial images of the conflicts and events surrounding the six year struggle. His art is now placed alongside that of Winslow Homer and Thomas Nast for his valuable contributions to Civil War art. After the war Forbes opened a studio in Brooklyn, New York, from which he sold his paintings and etchings. His reputation as a graphic artist reached an international level in 1877 when he was elected an honourary member of the London Etching Club, a distinction given to very few American artists. This superb, original etching is one of a number of retrospective images created entirely by Forbes and published in a full edition ten years after the conclusion of the fighting. In total, he created forty etchings of this large size, most dealing with scenes of camp life behind Union lines. The Sanctuary is the fortieth and final etching of the complete set. It depicts a Black family, escaping from slavery, and has has found the Union line. It is not known how many impressions were struck from each plate, but judging from the large size and the scarcity of these etchings on the art market of today the edition was probably less than two hundred.Size overall is 22" wide x 17" high. The image is approximately 16 1/3" wide x 12 1)4" high.
Matted with 100% Archival
Materials. Condition:Printed upon thick nineteenth century wove paper and with full, large margins as published by Edwin Forbes in 1876. Signed and titled in the plate by the artist. a fine, early impression. It does have foxing, mostly around the edges & backside. The top left side has some water stain. The etching itself looks good except the water stain crept onto the etching in the top left corner. See pictures for a good description. The Sanctuary is one of the finest etchings of the American Civil war. It is also considered the RAREST etching if the 40 different etchings made by Edwin Forbes. Shipping is .00  by USPS Priority mail to the lower 48 states only. It will be shipped in a very sturdy tube for safe shipping.  Immediate eBay payment is required. Thank you.