Sea-Side Sketches--A Clam-Bake, from Harper's Weekly, August 23, 1873
1873
Medium
Graphic Arts-Print
Classification
Graphic Arts-Print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Ray Austrian Collection, gift of Beatrice L. Austrian, Caryl A. Austrian and James A. Austrian
Accession Number
1996.63.86
Tags
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer, a master of American Realism, captured the lively spirit of 19th-century coastal leisure *Sea-Side SketchesA Clam-Bake*, published in *Harper's Weekly* on 23, 1873. As a leading illustrator for the era's most popular magazine, Homer often depicted everyday American scenes withvarnished authenticity, transitioning from his Civil War reportage to idyllic summer pastimes. This wood engraving reflects the post-war fascination with seaside escapes, where urban dwellers sought fresh air and communal joys amid the Gilded Age's industrial boom. The scene buzzes with a group of figures ...
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...