Christmas – Gathering Evergreens (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. II)
Original title: Christmas – Gathering Evergreens (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. II)
kurzbeschreibung
On December 25, 1858, Harper's Weekly published this wood-engraved illustration by Winslow Homer. It presents two moments of the Christmas celebration: gathering evergreen boughs in the forest and a party indoors around a decorated tree.
Description
The upper part belongs to the woods: several figures are seen collecting fir branches, one holds a branch aloft, and trees stand among them. Below, a group in 19th-century dress dances around a Christmas tree hung with stars and other ornaments. A large window and a ceiling lamp light the room; the figures' mood is exuberant. An explanatory text runs along the bottom edge of the image.
Context
The illustration was made for the Christmas issue of Harper's Weekly, a weekly magazine that had been appearing since 1857. In the late 1850s Winslow Homer earned his living as a freelance illustrator for this paper, long before he became known as a painter. Mass illustrations in newspapers and magazines were usually produced as wood engravings at that time.
Impact
Two separate settings, the forest and the festive parlor, combine into a single Christmas picture. An idyllic, harmonious mood speaks from it, the kind that appealed to the audience of the day. Clear contours and many details make the action lively and narrative.
Technique
As a wood engraving, the motif was cut into a wood block and then printed. Fine lines and hatching create tonal values characteristic of 19th-century illustration technique. The sheet appeared in Harper's Weekly as part of a larger page.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)