The Late Chief-Justice Roger B. Taney, from Harper's Weekly, October 29, 1864
1864
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
1996.63.202
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1864, during the height of the American Civil War Winslow Homer, a pioneering realist artist, created this striking knee-length portrait of Roger B. Taney for *Harper's Weekly*, the era's premier illustrated newspaper. Featured in the October 29 issue, wood engraving captures Taney shortly after his death on October 12, honoring the "Late Chief-Just" who served from 1836 to 1864. Homer, then in his late 20s, honed his skills through such journalistic prints, blending sharp observation with dramatic composition to bring public figures to life for a mass audience. Taney's legacy looms large ...
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...