Methodist Camp Meeting by Edward Williams Clay and Henry R. Robinson, 1836

Clay, Edward Williams · 1836

Camp meetings were a popular form of Protestant worship throughout the 19th century. Lasting several days, these open-air events often involved ecstatic communal prayer. Hundreds and even thousands came from miles around for preaching and worship, and to enjoy the festival-like atmosphere. In this hand colored print a large crowd in a clearing in the woods. The foreground scene depicts a quiet, peaceful group of men, women, and in this print two boys. A Black couple are depicted in the lower right near the two children. There is a muzzled dog depicted in the lower left. Some sedately sit on benches, while others kneel on the ground in prayer, stroll about in conversation, or stand listening to a minister. The minister with five men standing behind him is preaching from a covered platform on the left side of the print. This platform is a wood box-like structure, open halfway from the men's waists to the roof to form a commanding pulpit. In the background under a copse of tall trees and a jewel toned teal blue sky are several white tents with numbers and letters listed on them, and one lists Brooklyn No. 5, another A.R. No2. These presumably correspond with congregations from various locations.