Palm Tree, Nassau

Winslow Homer

1898 · Watercolor and graphite on off-white wove paper · The American Wing

This watercolor, composed vertically to accentuate the towering height of the central palm, visualizes the approach of circular storm clouds. Wind whirls around the tree, whose branches bend to the right. Conversely, the red flag in the background—raised by the lighthouse keeper to signal a coming hurricane or squall—blows in the opposite direction. By picturing these contrary winds, Homer contemplates the types of complex meteorological effects he would later thematize in The Gulf Stream (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 06.1234).

Artist

Winslow Homer

Date

1898

Medium

Watercolor and graphite on off-white wove paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Amelia B. Lazarus Fund, 1910