Study for Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts

Winslow Homer

1869 (?) · Oil on wood · The American Wing

Although Homer made his professional headquarters in New York City from 1859 to 1883, he focused his art on rural and seaside life. He typically sketched and painted outdoors during the seasons of good weather, then referred to his studies to create more ambitious works in his urban studio. He probably painted this oil sketch during a visit to a popular beach resort in 1869. For the final canvas, also on view in this gallery, he expanded the foreground to accommodate three bathers, and enhanced the definition of the breaking wave.

Artist

Winslow Homer

Date

1869 (?)

Medium

Oil on wood

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Bequest of Mary Cushing Fosburgh, 1978