"We Go for the Union"

American 19th Century

National Gallery of Art

This painting depicts a workshop scene where a large political poster is being created. On the left, a man stands at a worktable surrounded by tools and materials, including paint cans, brushes, and containers scattered around. He wears a tan vest over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. On the right, two men stand next to a large white poster with the words "WE GO FOR THE UNION" above an oval portrait of a gray-haired man against a blue backdrop. The two men both seem to be painting the poster, with the man on the left holding a palette and a thin brush, and the man on the right holding a large can of white paint and a wide brush. The man on the left wears a tan coat and a yellow hat, while the man on the right has paint-covered overalls on over his white shirt and tie. The two men on the left have pale skin and clean-shaven faces, and we see them in profile. The man on the right looks out at us, and he has tan skin, a dark mustache, and a gray beard. In the center there is a window with a grid of rectangular panes, beyond which a vibrant orange and pink sky is visible.