The Last Days of Harvest
Original title: The Last Days of Harvest (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVII)
kurzbeschreibung
Two people husk corn in the foreground while a horse team hauls a loaded wagon away from the field. Winslow Homer's 1873 wood engraving captures rural America with plain realism, and it appeared in Harper's Weekly as a record of the autumn harvest.
Description
In the foreground, two figures crouch in traditional dress, stripping husks from ears of corn. Behind them, a horse team pulls a loaded wagon through fields that have already been partly harvested, under a cloudy sky. The layout stretches wide and horizontal, with light spread evenly across the surface. Subtle gradations of gray bring out the textures of clothing and equipment.
Context
Harper's Weekly, then a widely read illustrated newspaper, published the print on December 6, 1873. During the 1870s, Winslow Homer drew regularly for the paper. Scenes like this reflect the agricultural character of the United States after the Civil War, and rural life was a frequent subject in his early graphic work.
Impact
Even light and horizontal lines give the print a calm, almost idyllic quality. The precise realism invites close looking and conveys something of the labor and quiet of harvest time.
Technique
To make the print, the image was cut into a woodblock and then pulled on paper. Hatching and thin lines create the gray values and surface textures. The image measures 23.5 x 34 cm; the sheet measures 27.5 x 40.5 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)