Catalogue Entry
Johnson was thirty-six years old when the Civil War began. Although he did not serve in the Union Army, he followed the Union troops in search of subjects that would appeal to a pro-Union audience. He also painted pictures of the homefront. —PH
Hills, 2021: Based on small details, including the corncobs and spools propped up as if they were cannons, this painting could justifiably be a Civil War picture despite its 1865 date.
David L. Simon, on Colby College Museum of Art website, accessed April 12, 2021:
"In the center of the composition two boys face each other. The older one, with puffy, food-filled cheeks, holds a spoon and a bowl and leans against a chair, while his much younger companion is on his knees and looking up at him…
"The canvas is dated at the bottom right to 1865, the year that marked the end of the long Civil War. I believe this painting is an allegory of that event or, perhaps better stated, of its consequences. The children’s corncob-and-spool toys are instruments of war, albeit humble ones, while the flower petals on the other side of the composition suggest peace, a fitting and meaningful juxtaposition…
"There is, in fact, no evidence to suggest that the title was Johnson’s own. However, a work by Johnson auctioned at the very end of 1865 titled Not Enough for Two would be a likely match for the Colby painting. At the end of the war, there was general concern about food and sustenance in America."
- Subject matter: