Painted Canteen
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: Round metal painted with camp scene.
label: Description
content: Specific History
label: Description
content: This canteen was said to have been used at Gettysburg.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: The scene painted on this canteen is a snapshot of camp life, preserved as a memento of the war like a letter home or a diary entry. At right, a soldier appears to be on guard duty beside a tent over which flies an American flag. To the left, another soldier sits on a log before a fire. The scene evokes the rituals and chores of camp life: pitching tents, standing guard, gathering firewood, and preparing food. Soldiers accustomed to the orderliness of camp life as depicted here faced a stark contrast when they entered battle at Gettysburg and other chaotic killing grounds. Memories of camp and its monotonous routine could be soothing to men who endured grueling campaigns, which may explain why this unknown soldier-artist chose to depict that theme on an object that meant much to him.
place: label: used
content: United States: Pennsylvania
topic: label: related event
content: Civil War
label: related event
content: Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
label: related event
content: Civil War and Reconstruction
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Civil War
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: Exhibition
content: Price of Freedom
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Estate of Stephen Earl Hagerman
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1996.0340.01
label: accession number
content: 1996.0340
label: catalog number
content: 1996.0340.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: canteen
label: Other Terms
content: canteen; Individual Equipment; Army
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: cork (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 22.5 cm x 16.8 cm x 6.5 cm; 8 27/32 in x 6 5/8 in x 2 9/16 in