Description

This large lithograph was a double-page spread in the Harper's Weekly December 26, 1863, issue. The composition is divided into six scenes: one large vignette in the center, two on either side, and three small vignettes across the bottom. The large center image depicts a soldier returning home for Christmas, kissing his wife, his son climbing on his leg. Another couple and three children can be seen in the doorway in the background. The image on the far left depicts two children sleeping with Santa Claus hovering over them. The image on the far right depicts a family opening stockings and playing with toys on Christmas morning. The three small vignettes depict the birth of Jesus, Christmas dinner, and families attending church on Christmas Morning. The words "Christmas, For, Furlough, and Morning" are all etched in the print plate. The print is titled in the lower margin "Christmas, 1863." Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum