The Drummer Boy by William Morris Hunt in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, January 2018

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 Number: 66.1055

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.

Inscriptions: Lower right: WMHunt [WMH in monogram]

Provenance: About 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)

Text from: collections.mfa.org/objects/33985/the-drummer-boy