The Noon Recess, from Harper's Weekly, June 28, 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
1996.63.83
Tags
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer's *The Noon Recess*, published in *Harper's Weekly* on 28, 1873, captures a lively moment of schoolchildren at play during midday break. This wood engraving depicts a group of African American students in a rural Southern schoolyard, tumbling, leaping, and laughing in joyful abandon. Homer, a master of American Realism, skillfully rendered their dynamic energy through bold lines and contrasting tones, transforming a simple scene into a vivid snapshot of childhood exuberance. Created during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, the print reflects the era's push for educ...
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...