Watching The Crows, from Our Young Folks, June 1868
1868
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
1996.63.189
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Watching the Crows** is a captivating 1868 wood engraving by Winslow Homer, featured in the June issue of *Our Young*, a popular 19th-century children's magazine This graphic arts print depicts a full-length figure—likely a young boy in a wide-brimmed hat—standing in a vast landscape, intently observing a flock of crows wheeling overhead. Homer, master of American realism, captures the quiet drama of rural life with precise lines and subtle shading, drawing viewers into the timeless rhythm of nature. Created in the post-Civil War era, the artwork reflects Homer's shift from wartime illustra...
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...