Winslow Homer Homeward-Bound Wood Engraving, Signed, Framed

About the Item

WINSLOW HOMER. A black-and-white wood engraving of a crowded, canting deck: a bearded gentleman in a bowler walks arm in arm with a woman whose crinoline sweeps the planks, while behind them passengers cluster in bonnets and top hats, one man raising a spyglass. A great spar and a web of rigging cut diagonally across the upper half against a light cloudy sky, and at lower right two figures recline on a bench with a book. The image is built entirely of fine engraved line and cross-hatching, printed in dense black on cream wove paper. Medium: wood engraving on paper. Signed monogram cut into the block on the spar at upper right; the artist is also named in the printed caption, reading "W. F. (partially obscured by glare)". Inscribed on the reverse or mount: HOMEWARD-BOUND., [DRAWN BY WINSLOW HOMER.] , printed caption below the image; monogram in the block on the spar at upper right, reading approximately 'W. F.', partly hidden by a lamp reflection. Condition: Paper lightly toned with faint scattered spotting; no tears or losses visible. Strong lamp reflections on the glass in every shot. The image is Winslow Homer's wood engraving Homeward-Bound, published as a double page illustration in Harper's Weekly on December 21, 1867, showing passengers gathered on the deck of an ocean steamer; wood engravings for the illustrated weeklies form an important early chapter of Homer's career.

About the Artist

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) is one of the foremost American painters of the nineteenth century. Before his celebrated marine oils and watercolours he worked as an illustrator, and his wood engravings for weeklies such as Harper's are collected in their own right.

Details

Creator:

Winslow Homer

Creation Year:

third quarter of the 19th century

Dimensions:

Height: 21.75 in (55.24 cm)
Width: 28.75 in (73.03 cm)
outside of frame

Medium:

wood engraving on paper

Period:

19Th

Condition:

Offered in the condition shown in the photographs.

Reference Number:

VO-218

Documentation:

no certificate present

Gallery Location:

HOMEWARD-BOUND., [DRAWN BY WINSLOW HOMER.] , printed caption below the image; monogram in the block on the spar at upper right, reading approximately 'W. F.', partly hidden by a lamp reflection