High Tide (from "Every Saturday," Vol. I, New Series)

Art Historical Context

Winslow Homer’s *High Tide*, published on August 6, 1870, in the illustrated magazine *Every Saturday*, captures a lively moment of leisure by the sea. Created as a wood engraving measuring roughly 9 by 12 inches, the print was designed for wide circulation, allowing middle-class readers to enjoy Homer’s observations of American coastal life without traveling to the shore themselves. Homer, already gaining recognition for his Civil War illustrations, turned his attention to everyday scenes after the conflict. Wood engraving, the dominant reproductive medium of the era, required skilled craftsmen to translate the artist’s drawing into a printable block—an intricate process that preserved fine details of light, texture, and movement. Here, the technique effectively conveys the rush of waves and the wind-swept dresses of women gathered on the beach. Beyond its technical achievement, the image reflects the growing popularity of seaside resorts in post-war America and Homer’s lifelong fascination with the ocean. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum through the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, this print remains a vivid record of both 19th-century print culture and the artist’s emerging voice as a chronicler of American experience.

About the Artist

Fields, Osgood & Co.|Winslow Homer (American|American) · 1830 |1836 –1930 |1910

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