Taking the Oath and Drawing Rations (Primary Title)
John Rogers, American, 1829 - 1904 (Artist)
John Rogers found success among middle-class patrons for his anecdotal poured-plaster statuettes. “Rogers Groups” were popular parlor accessories between 1860 and 1895. The three-dimensional genre scenes, first modeled in clay, were mass-produced and sold throughout the country by mail order. Taking the Oath and Drawing Rations is the first work he produced after the Civil War and would prove to be his most popular group. The title of this piece refers to the Union loyalty oath that the white Southern woman takes—note her hand on the Union officer’s Bible—to obtain food rations from the basket. Flanking the group are the woman’s child at right and an African American child, who presumably was formerly enslaved, at left. This group presents a sentimental gloss over what would prove to be a difficult era of national Reconstruction.
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