Gathering Berries (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVIII)
Original title: Gathering Berries (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVIII)
kurzbeschreibung
Winslow Homer's wood engraving "Berry Picking," published on July 11, 1874, gathers women together as they pick fruit in a rural setting. The print appeared in Harper's Weekly and belongs among Homer's illustrations of American country life.
Description
Women work a field of low grass and shrubs, their dress of the late nineteenth century: ribbed blouses, checked aprons, wide-brimmed hats. Some kneel or crouch, others stand. Hills, a flat stretch of land and a ship on the water close off the distance. The figures line up horizontally, stressing the shared task. Even light without strong shadows, as is usual for wood engraving.
Context
Harper's Weekly ran the wood engraving in its issue of July 11, 1874. Through the 1870s Winslow Homer drew regularly for this widely circulated paper, recording scenes of everyday life. Women harvesting berries reflect how rural work and leisure were seen at the time. Homer's own drawing served as the model.
Impact
Calm and symmetrical, the layout brings out an idyllic mood of country life. Clothing and surroundings are rendered in close detail, which gives the print liveliness and authenticity. The viewer gains an immediate sense of the women's communal work.
Technique
A wood engraving, a relief process in which the image is cut into hard wood. Hatching and fine lines build texture and tonal values in black and white. The plate was made for mass printing in the magazine, so its measurements follow the page format.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)