Snap the Whip

Winslow Homer

1872 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Snap the Whip celebrates the pleasures of childhood in a rough-and-tumble game. Homer’s barefoot boys are in and of nature—determined, rugged, and exuberant—an optimistic symbol of the nation’s future. The teamwork and coordination involved in their pursuit were seen as essential qualities for reuniting the country after war, though Homer hints at the challenges ahead through the child at the end, flung from the chain. The scene is infused with nostalgia, immortalizing the little red rural schoolhouse just as the nation was shifting away from its agrarian past toward a future of increased urbanization.

Artist

Winslow Homer

Date

1872

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Christian A. Zabriskie, 1950