Existing comment:
Reception of the officers of the Army by Secretary Stanton at the War Department, Washington DC
The illustration process for newspapers and sundry published materials was still a cumbersome procedure during the Civil War, as is evident in this scene of army officers greeting President Lincoln's new secretary of war, Edwin M. Stanton, on January 20, 1862, the day of his official appointment. Artist Arthur Lumley began the process with a pencil and ink drawing of the event, which he probably witnessed firsthand. From the drawing, a team of carvers carved the scene -- in reverse -- into multiple wood blocks, which were bolted together to form the plate. The plate was inked to produce the finished illustration, published in the New York Illustrated News on February 8, 1862.
Arthur Lumley, reproduced from 1862 original drawing |