Chinese Man Smoking an Opium Pipe in a Baxter Street Club House, New York City
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Savage Homer, Jr.
Accession Number
1912-12-50
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
In the heart of 1870s New York City, Homer captured a poignant slice of urban immigrant life with *Chinese Man Smoking an Op Pipe in a Baxter Street House, New York City* (ca. 1874). This work, classified as a study of figures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's, reflects Homer's masterful realism. Born in 1836, Homer was a leading American artist known for his unflinching depictions of everyday Americans—from Civil War soldiers to rural folk—often sketched with keen observation during his time as a magazine illustrator. The scene unfolds on Baxter Street in Manhattan's Chinatown, a hu...