‘The Fishing Party,’ 1869. Wood engraving drawn by Homer and engraved by an unknown engraver. 9 x 13¾ inches. Appleton’s Journal, 2 (October 2, 1869): folded supplement. In this image, Homer draws a sharp contrast between the overdressed flamboyance of the female fishers and the roughness of natural scene, with its ragged rocks. In so doing, he focuses on the essential tensions at the heart of American culture between ‘civilization’ and ‘nature,’ society and the wild.
Photograph and text by Simon Cooke. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Bibliography
Appleton’s Journal (1869).
Created 29 August 2023