'The War Is Over': National Thanksgiving, December 1865

This full-page composite plate marks the end of the Civil War and Andrew Johnson's National Thanksgiving proclamation of December 1865, the text of which—signed by Secretary of State William H. Seward—runs in the lower right column. Four scenes are arranged around a diagonal banner reading "The War Is Over." Top left shows jubilant crowds with flags in the streets. Top center depicts a speaker addressing a public gathering. A separate vignette labeled "Peace & Unity" shows an allegorical female figure releasing a dove while a civilian and a soldier clasp hands beneath her. Bottom left, captioned "Fruits of an Abundant Season," shows a pastoral farm scene with livestock and a loaded wagon, linking Union victory to material prosperity. The central scene portrays an elderly man—possibly meant as a Union patriarch—gesturing in prayer while family members and a Black child sit nearby at a domestic hearth. Taken together, the plate argues that Union victory, emancipation, and God's providence are one continuous gift deserving solemn collective gratitude.