A Snow Slide in the City, from Harper's Weekly, January 14, 1860

Art Historical Context

Winslow Homer's *A Snow Slide in the*, published in *Harper's Weekly* on 14, 1860, captures a lively moment of winter chaos in an urban American setting. As a graphic arts print—likely a wood engraving typical of the era's illustrated newspapers—this work showcases Homer's early mastery of black-and-white illustration. At just 24 years old, Homer was as a freelance artist for *Harper's Weekly a leading publication that brought vivid scenes of everyday life to a national audience amid growing urbanization and pre-Civil War tensions. The image depicts a bustling cityscape transformed by snow, w...

About the Artist

Winslow Homer · 1836–1910

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was one of America's greatest painters and a preeminent figure in 19th-century American art. Largely self-taught, Homer began his career as a commercial illustrator and Civil War correspondent for Harper's Weekly before becoming renowned for his powerful marine subjects and landscape paintings. His mastery of both oil and watercolor, combined with his uncompromising reali...