Seeing the Old Year Out, from Harper's Weekly, January 5, 1861
1861
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
1996.63.111
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Seeing the Old Year Out a wood engraving by Winslow Homer published in *Harper's Weekly* on 5, 1861, captures a poignant moment of transition at the dawn of a tumultuous year. Created just months before the Civil War erupted, this print from Homer's early career as a magazine illustrator reflects the everyday rituals of American domestic life. Featured in one of the era's most popular illustrated newspapers, it offered readers a glimpse into communal reflection amid national uncertainty. The scene depicts a figure group gathered in a cozy interior, toasting the New Year while evoking themes ...
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...