Title

Camp Fire: Making Friends with the Cook

Creator

John Rogers

Files

Creator Role

sculptor

Description

The plaster sculpture depicts camp life during the American Civil War. In the sculpture, an African-American cook stirs a pot over a campfire. A soldier sits next to the fire holding a newspaper, and the two appear to be engrossed in conversation. According to the New York Historical Society, Rogers offered a very simplistic description of this sculpture stating, ""A soldier is reading the newspaper to the cook and trying to make friends with him, so as to warm himself and get some choice bits from the kettle over the fire.""

Description Source

David H. Wallace. John Rogers: The People's Sculptor. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan, 1967; Page: 88. New York Historical Society Museum & Library. https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibit/camp-fire-making-friends-cook (accessed June 28, 2918).

Contributor

Justice Frank J. and Virginia Williams

Approximate Creation Date

1862-05-27

Measurement

12 inches (height)

Materials and Techniques Display

painted plaster

Inscription

center top of base, signature: JOHN ROGERS / NEW YORK front of base, inscribed: THE CAMPFIRE / MAKING FRIENDS WITH THE COOK back of base, inscribed: PATENTED MAY 27, 1862

Subjects

African American cooks; Sculpture; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans

Work Type

sculpture

Class

statuettes & figurines

Preferred Citation

[Physical ID#]: [Title], Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana, Mississippi State University Libraries.

Rights

Copyright protected by Mississippi State University Libraries. Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required.

ID

3949

Digital ID

FVW_03949

Current Location

Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana (Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States)

Repository

Mississippi State University Libraries.

Digital Publisher

Mississippi State University Libraries (electronic version).

Contact Information

For more information about the contents of this collection, email sp_coll@library.msstate.edu.