Top 10 Interesting Facts about Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer, 19th-century photograph. Photo by Napoleon Sarony on Wikimedia

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer was a renowned American landscape painter and illustrator. He was best known for his marine subjects in his painting and illustration career. Winslow was born on 24^th February in Boston, Massachusetts.

He was the second born of three sons of Charles Savage Homer and his mother Henrietta Benson Homer. His parents were from long lines of New Englanders. Henrietta Benson Homer, his mother, was a gifted amateur watercolorist and was Homer’s first teacher.

Winslow Homer had a close relationship with his mother throughout their lives as he learned a lot from him. Homer inherited some of his mother’s traits like being quiet, strong-willed, terse, sociable nature, dry sense of humor, and having artistic talent. He was an average student who happily grew in his childhood as he grew in then-rural Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Here are the Top 10 Interesting Facts about Winslow Homer:

1. His Parents were from Long Lines of New Englanders

Winslow Homer was born and raised in a then-rural Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1836. His parents had three sons with Winslow being the second born of the three. Charles Savage Homer and Henrietta Benson Homer were the parents of Winslow Homer.

They were both from long lines of New Englanders who lived in Boston, Massachusetts. New Englanders are inhabitants of the Northeastern United States specifically in the New England region. The term New Englanders is derived from those people who live in the six New England States or who had ties with the region.

2. Winslow’s Mother was a Watercolourist who He Took on Her Traits

A Game of Croquet by Winslow Homer 1866. Photo by Unknown author on Wikimedia

Henrietta Benson Homer was a gifted amateur watercolorist who was also the first teacher of her son Winslow Homer. The two, Winslow Homer and his mother Henrietta Benson Homer, had a very close relationship. She passed her skills and knowledge to her son as he grew up.

As he grew up, Winslow Homer took the traits of his mother. Some of the traits he took included her quiet, strong-willed, terse, sociable nature, her dry sense of humor, and her artistic nature. His artistic talent was evident in his early years even though he was an average student. The childhood life of Winslow Homer was full of happiness as he grew up with the love of his family.

3. His Father Arranged for His Apprenticeship after High School

Charles Savage Homer was a volatile and restless businessman who worked hard to ensure that he earned big to sustain his family. At the age of 13, his father decided to give up his hardware store business and went to seek the California gold rush fortune. Savage failed and decided to go to Europe to get-rich-quick schemes that never paid off but he managed to get something for his son.

Winslow Homer graduated from high school and got a way forward in life after his father saw a newspaper advertisement and began arrangements for an apprenticeship. Winslow began his apprenticeship at the age of 19 to a Boston commercial lithographer, J.H. Bufford. Homer went ahead to repetitively work on sheet music covers as well as other commercial work for two years.

4. Homer’s Early Illustrations & Paintings were Inspired by His Uncle’s Mansion

A portrait of Homer’s paintings. Photo by Unknown author on Wikimedia

Winslow Homer has an amazing career as an illustrator which lasted for nearly 20 years. He made major contributions in illustrations of Boston life and rural New England life to magazines such as Ballou’s Pictorial and Harper’s Weekly.

The early works of Homer were mostly commercial wood engravings of urban and country social scenes. They were characterized by clean outlines, dramatic contrast of light and dark, simplified forms, and lively figure groupings.

The majority of his illustrations and paintings were inspired by his uncle’s Belmont mansion. The mansion was known as the 1853 Homer House which inspired several of his 1860s croquet pictures.

5. Winslow Homer Moved to New York, Opened a Studio & Attended Design Classes

Homer decided to leave his Boston home and venture more into his career in New York City. In 1859, he moved to New York where he opened a studio in the 10^th Street Studio Building. This was the artistic and publishing capital of the United States.

He continued with his work until 1863 when he decided to start attending classes. Winslow began attending classes at the National Academy of Design where he studied with Frédéric Rondel who also taught him the basics of painting. He also continued self-training and layer-produced excellent oil work.

6. Homer was Sent to the American Civil War to Sketch Battle Scenes

A painting by Winslow Homer of the battle. Photo by Unknown author on Wikimedia

After his classes at the National Academy of Design, his mother tried to raise some funds to send him to Europe for further studies. However, she never managed but Harper sent him to the front lines of the American Civil War to sketch battle scenes.

Winslow used to sketch battle scenes and camp life, those calm moments as well as chaotic and war moments. Initially, his sketches were of the camp, commanders, and army famous Union officer, Major General George B. McClellan.

However, all his drawings from the battle never got much attention at the time but they helped him expand his skills from being an illustrator to a painter. He also illustrated women during wartime and showed how the war had affected the home front even though his work was dangerous and so exhausting.

7. He Painted One Dozen Small Paintings During his Trip to Paris

In 1867, Winslow Homer finally got a chance to travel to Europe to Paris in France. During his travel time to Paris, his painting from the war front was on exhibit at the Exposition Universelle.

Winslow continued practicing landscape painting of Parisian life even though he never studied formally. In the period he spent in Paris, he painted approximately one dozen small paintings. His main subject was peasant life which showed more of an alignment with the established French Barbizon school.

8. Homer Began Painting with Watercolours Improving his Financial Condition

The coming away of a Gale. Photo by Unknown author on Wikimedia

In the 1870s, Winslow Homer began changing his style of painting. He started painting with watercolors regularly during his summer stay in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1873. His initial technique was natural, fluid, and confident as he demonstrated his innate talent for a difficult medium.

Winslow began getting more critics for his new style of painting which would be revolutionary. Some of his critics stated that a child’s work with an ink bottle could have been done better. However, his watercolor work enabled him to improve his financial condition drastically.

9. Winslow Found a New Style & Vision after Moving to the UK

For most of his career, Winslow Homer spent in America but later went and spent two years, 1881 to 1882 in the coastal village of Cullercoats, Northumberland, the UK. His paintings majored on working men and women as his subjects.

During this period in the UK, Winslow’s work and palette became constrained, and paintings became larger, more ambitious, and deliberately executed. He also found a new style and vision as he moved away from American paintings. This helped Winslow Homer carry his talent into new and greater realms.

10. The US Post Office Released a Commemorative Stamp to Honour Winslow

The Gulf Stream, portrait by Winslow Homer. Photo by Unknown author on Wikimedia

After his death, his paintings and other work were well preserved and exhibited in Europe and the US. In 1962, the United States Post Office decided to release a Commemorative stamp in honor of Winslow. His famous oil painting Breezing Up was chosen to be the image for the design.