Winslow Homer: American Illustrator

Although he is counted high on the list of preeminent painters in the U.S. during the last half of the 19th century, Winslow Homer (1836-1910) spent the first eight years of his professional career, beginning at age 19, working as a graphic artist. His first commissions were for drawings to be transformed into illustrations for the popular magazines that were emerging during this period.

Homer's first illustration appeared on June 13, 1857, in Ballou's Pictorial, a Boston periodical that provided a visual record of the picturesque sites and events in his hometown. Later that summer, the newly established Harper's Weekly of New York commissioned five images from Homer to appear in its Aug. 1 issue. In the fall of 1859, about the time that Ballou's was ceasing publication, Homer moved to New York where he freelanced for Harper's for the next 16 years. Throughout this period, he created many lasting images that encapsulated American life at the end of the 19th century.

"Winslow Homer--American Illustrator," presents 55 wood engravings by the man who widely is regarded as one of America's keenest observers of daily life. This representative survey--he created 220 total illustrations during his lifetime--spans Homer's career, beginning with "Husking the Corn in New England,' published in Harper's Weekly in November 1858. It concludes with "Camping Out in the Adirondack Mountains," one of his final illustrations, appearing in Harper's in November 1874.

The exhibition includes some of Homer's most enduring images, including "The Army of the Potomac--A Sharpshooter on Picket Duty" (1862), "Homeward Bound" (1867), "The Summit of Mount Washington" (1869), and "Snap-the-Whip" (1873). These engravings represent some of the finest works Homer produced in the print medium. Many of the subjects also were explored in oil or watercolor and rank among the iconic images associated with this talented artist and illustrator.

"Winslow Homer--American Illustrator" is on view at the San Diego (Calif.) Museum of Art through Sept. 3.

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