On to Liberty
Artist: Theodor Kaufmann (American, 1814–1896)
Original Dimensions: 36" x 56"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (1867) "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." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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