Created at the end of the American Civil War, Aurora Borealis (1865) was believed to depict the portent of a simultaneously triumphant and desolate Union victory, its meaning amplified in relation to later works, including The After Glow (1867) and other works.

Aurora Borealis (1865) was associated with Rainy Season in the Tropics (1866) for two reasons.
First, the two paintings marked the completion of the arctic-tropical sequence created with The Heart of the Andes (1859) and The North, also known as The Icebergs (1861).
These pairings drew together popular attention on exploration of the arctic North and the tropical South.
The second association between Aurora Borealis and Rainy Season in the Tropics was established through their compositions and "in their luminosity", where each suggested a "renewed optimism in natural and historic events".
Created at the end of the American Civil War, Aurora Borealis (1865) was believed to depict the portent of a simultaneously triumphant and desolate Union victory, its meaning amplified in relation to later works, including The After Glow (1867) and other works.
Aurora Borealis (1865) was associated with Rainy Season in the Tropics (1866) for two reasons. First, the two paintings marked the completion of the arctic-tropical sequence created with The Heart of the Andes (1859) and The North, also known as The Icebergs (1861). These pairings drew together popular attention on exploration of the arctic North and the tropical South. The second association between Aurora Borealis and Rainy Season in the Tropics was established through their compositions and "in their luminosity", where each suggested a "renewed optimism in natural and historic events".
Aurora Borealis (painting)