Winslow Homer

The Life Line

1887

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was an American landscape painter, printmaker and publication illustrator. He is considered one of the most important American artists of the 19th-century. Largely self-taught Homer initially worked as an illustrator for various publications, including: Harper's Weekly, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and Ballou's Pictorial Magazine. He worked for Harper's during the Civil War, producing woodcut engravings depicting the personal experiences of soldiers. He later became a master of oil and watercolor painting, often focussing on maritime themes. Harper’s Weekly, published in New York, was an extremely popular publication in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In weekly issues Harper’s reported the news, entertained with literature, poetry and art, as well as educating its readers about world affairs and new inventions. It's woodcut engraved illustrations and literature added to its popularity, employing major artists and authors of the time, including Winslow Homer, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray and Thomas Nast.