"Dad's Coming!" (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVII)

Art Historical Context

Created by Winslow Homer for the November 1, 1873 issue of Harper’s Weekly, “Dad’s Coming!” captures a tender moment of anticipation along the American coast. Rendered as a wood engraving—a medium prized in the nineteenth century for its ability to reproduce fine detail in mass-circulation newspapers—the print shows women and children gazing seaward as a small boat approaches. Homer’s economical line work and sensitive observation of light and posture convey both the quiet drama of daily life and the emotional rhythms of a seafaring community. Early in his career, Homer regularly supplied illustrations to Harper’s Weekly, using the format to chronicle post-Civil War American experience. The image reflects his lifelong interest in maritime subjects and the resilience of ordinary people, themes he would later explore in oil and watercolor. Measuring roughly nine by thirteen inches, the engraving was designed to be experienced in the intimate setting of a parlor rather than a gallery, bringing art into countless households. Today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, “Dad’s Coming!” remains a vivid reminder of how popular illustration helped shape a shared national visual culture in the 1870s.

About the Artist

Harper & Brothers|Winslow Homer|Harper's Weekly (American|American) · 1836 |1833 –1910 |1962

American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine|American, New York