Watch-Tower, Corner of Spring and Varick Streets, New York, from Harper's Weekly, February 28, 1874
1874
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
1996.63.93
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into 1874 New York City with Winslow Homer's striking illustration, *Watch-Tower, Corner of Spring and Var Streets, New York*, published in *Harper's Weekly* on February 28. Homer, a master of American Realism renowned for his vivid depictions of everyday life—from Civil War battlefields to rural scenes—captured this urban sentinel in intricate wood engraving. As a leading contributor to the era's premier illustrated newspaper, Homer brought the pulse of the Gilded Age metropolis to readers nationwide. The print showcases a sturdy watch-tower perched at the bustling intersection of Sprin...
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...