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Portfolios%3D%22594%22%20and%20Sort_Artist%3D%22Rogers,%20John%22
Sculpture
Taking the Oath and Drawing Rations
John Rogers, 1829 - 1904
Rogers, John
United States
1829 - 1904
Male
23 in. (58.4 cm)
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Plaster
Plaster
1865
1865
1865
1800-1900, 19th century, children, Civil War, Images of Black People, men, sculpture, women
Sculpture
For a fervent abolitionist like artist John Rogers, sympathy for the Southern cause did not come easily. However, an incident in Charleston, South Carolina, inspired him to create the story in plaster. During the Civil War, as the Union army moved in to Confederate territory, citizens were required to take a loyalty oath in order to obtain food rations. Rogers has captured one mother’s conflict as she swears loyalty to the hated Union while keeping a protective hand on her child’s head. The Union soldier who is administering the oath tips his cap, simultaneously the chivalrous gentleman and the enemy. The freed slave looks on with concern and confusion.
Because of the emotional complexity and the poignant feelings evoked by this group, it was considered one of Rogers’ most successful works. Over 80,000 narrative sculptures were sold by the self-taught Rogers from his workshop in New York City to middle-class Americans looking to decorate their parlors with an engaging work of art.
[Gallery label text, 2002]
on baseon base
1951.310
item
Memorial Art Gallery
9/8/1999
51.310SL1
slide
2 x 2
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glossy
8x10
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negative
2 x 2
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51.310DI1
digital image
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51.310DI1
digital image
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