Picnicking in the Woods
September 4, 1858
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of John Goldsmith Phillips, Jr.
Accession Number
1947-4-2
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer's *Picnicking in the Woods*, dated September 4, 1858, offers a glimpse into the young artist's early fascination with everyday American life. just 22 years old Homer was transitioning from his apprenticeship as a lithographer in to freelance illustration in New York, honing his skills through quick, observational sketches. This work, classified as a study of figures and held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection (gift of John Goldsmith Phillips, Jr captures a moment of leisure amid nature, evoking the simple pleasures of mid-19th-century rural outings. Though resea...