3-055-325 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Old '76 and Young '48, 1851. A young soldier, his injured left arm in a sling, his boots and trousers mud-spattered, and sword and gloves flung on the carpet, has just returned from service in the Mexican War. Gesturing expansively toward the Revolutionary portrait, he seeks approval from his older relative, who appears lost in memory. Other family members, presumably the soldier's parents and sister, dressed in the fashion of the moment, listen with concern. In the doorway to the right, three African American house servants attend to the conversation. Old '76's status as a veteran of the Revolutionary War is made clear by attributes, including knee breeches worn in the previous century, the portrait in military dress on the far wall, and the bust of George Washington behind him.