The Art of American Life:
Winslow Homer’s Graphics (1857–1877)
February 6–May 30, 2010
 Winslow Homer (1836–1910) is one of America’s most beloved artists, and his art captures the heart of the American spirit.  The Art of American Life celebrates Homer’s creative output in the medium of reportage and illustration with over 40 prints installed in the Museum’s gallery devoted to works on paper.  Some of his most famous images are included: the civil war-era wood engraving A Sharpshooter on Picket Duty, created for Harper’s Weekly when Homer served as a war correspondent; Homeward Bound made on Homer’s voyage across the Atlantic; the dynamic and iconic composition Snap the Whip, which corresponds to his famous painting; and On the Bluff at Long Branch, at the Bathing Hour, artfully documenting the newly monied seeking leisure on the Jersey coastline.  Also featured is his earliest image produced in 1857 for Ballou’s Pictorial of Boston, as well as a handful of his later graphics that served as illustrations to accompany literary works, including Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poetry.  Dramatic scenes of the Civil War, touching images of childhood, tranquil views of country life, and scenes of urban social activities, all converge to create a visually engaging and historically meaningful exhibition that reflects our national past.  These prints give voice to one of America’s greatest artists who, through the medium of illustrated magazines and books, reached a wide audience of readers and viewers relative to those who saw his paintings and watercolors in person.  The exhibition is drawn from an extensive group collection of over 125 wood engravings in the Museum’s collection that has not been on view in nearly ten years.