ABSTRACT
After the War, many of America’s wartime artists turned to the painting of rural scenes, particularly “farm life”—some in response to the nostalgia for the good old days that enveloped the nation at the time, and others because they were ready to embrace something different after several years of depicting war scenes. The thematic link among these scenes is the importance of functional music for black workers. In common with many other peasant peoples, the slaves developed an extensive repertory of simple songs that served specific functions in their everyday lives. One of the most popular subjects for postbellum artists was the corn-shucking festival, as indeed also had been the case in the antebellum era. Preparations get under way when the host begins to pile the corn in huge stacks in front of cribs or a barn, sets a date for the frolic, and sends invitations to farmers from all around.
