Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts (High Tide)

Winslow Homer

1870 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

In the years after the Civil War, Homer often explored women’s new roles in society, especially their access to leisure. This representation of a quintessentially modern subject—women at the beach—confounded critics when it was first exhibited, in New York in 1870. Emerging after a swim, the woman at center wrings out her heavy bathing clothes and hair, as a small dog appears startled by the dripping water. Some viewers focused on issues of decorum and class, criticizing the women’s state of undress—even though they are wearing typical bathing costumes of the era—and one described them as "exceedingly red-legged and ungainly." A disquieting sense of voyeurism and mystery imbues the scene, amplified by the strong light and strange shadows, suggesting deeper meanings below the surface.

Artist

Winslow Homer

Date

1870

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. William F. Milton, 1923