Talking it Over (The Civil War)

Perry's canvases conjured happy childhood memories for urban audiences and celebrated a way of life that was fast disappearing. The two New England or upstate–New York farmers he portrays in this canvas represent icons of ideal American citizenry. Perry may have wished to offer more than a nostalgic reverie, however. His protagonists resemble George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who were often paired following Lincoln's assassination. By seating America's two most admired farmer-patriot citizens in a barnlike interior, Perry might have alluded to the state of the "national barn," which, under President Ulysses S. Grant, was experiencing massive immigration, a continuing seismic shift of agriculture to the West, and unprecedented industrial and economic growth. - There is a border around the image. Image size is correct. Many sizes available.