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, 2022: Although John I. H. Baur owned and annotated a copy of the catalogue of Johnson's 1907 Estate Sale, he did not include this work in his own 1940 catalogue listing; he must have obtained it after publication.
MacGibeny, 2021: Like Kathleen Mavourneen, this painting refers to a song that was based on an Irish melody and became popular during the Civil War. The lyrics begin:
’Tis many days since I left home
To join our glorious army,
I thought but of my country’s call,
And not of what might harm me;
I vowed to join both heart and hand,
Where duty calls you’ll find me,
I left my home, and shed a tear
For the girl I left behind me.
See the linked song sheet from the American Song Sheets Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections, published in 1862, and illustrated rendition of the song on YouTube: "The Girl I Left Behind Me—A Civil War Ballad."
Smithsonian American Art Museum website, accessed July 1, 2020: "A young girl stands on a promontory, her hair streaming in the wind. The path before her ends, so she must either retrace her steps or try to find a different way forward. Johnson called this painting The Girl I Left Behind Me, invoking an Irish ballad that was popular with both the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War."
"Signed at the lower right, E. Johnson.
Height, 41 ½ inches; width, 34 inches."
[Annotation: “60.00”]
Inscribed on verso, on top frame spacer, in pencil: XXX
Handwritten label on verso, taped to a piece of wood (from previous backboard?), top center: Detroit. E/The Girl I Left/artist. Eastman John/65 West 55th st/New York [possibly in Johnson's hand; right edge is torn and illegible]
Typewritten label on verso, on foamcore backboard, upper center: James Maroney incorporated/129a East 74th Street, New York NY 10021/Artist Eastman Johnson (1842 [sic]-1906)/Title The Girl I Left Behind Me/Medium Oil on canvas/Size: 41 3/4 x 34 3/4 inches/J 860 202NC M
Handwritten label on verso, on frame, upper left: The Girl I Left Behind Me” [sic]
Label on verso, on frame, upper left: 4365/x30
Handwritten label on verso, on frame, bottom center: [illegible]
Label on frame, upper right side: 30/4365
- Subject matter: