The Boston Common, from Harper's Weekly, May 22, 1858
1858
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
1996.63.24
Tags
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer's *The Boston Common*, published in *Harper's Weekly* on May 22, 1858, captures a serene moment of everyday life in America's oldest public park. As one of Homer's earliest published works, this graphic arts print depicts families and strollers enjoying Boston Common, evoking the leisurely pace of mid-19th-century urban leisure. Fresh from his training as a lithographer in Boston, the 22-year-old Homer skillfully rendered the scene with a keen eye for social observation, blending realism with subtle narrative charm. Printed in *Harper's Weekly*—the era's premier illustrated news...
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...