A Cadet Hop at West Point

A Cadet Hop at West Point by Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910) is a significant wood engraving on paper, published in 1859 by the influential illustrated journal Harper’s Weekly. This print showcases Homer’s foundational talent as an illustrator, a role he maintained for many years before dedicating himself fully to painting. The medium of wood engraving was crucial for the mass dissemination of images in the 19th-century United States, allowing publications to reproduce detailed images quickly and affordably.

The artwork depicts a formal dance, or “hop,” held for cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Homer meticulously captured the setting, detailing the young soldiers in their crisp uniforms interacting with their civilian partners within the grand ballroom. This genre scene offers valuable insight into the social customs and privileged calendar of American military life in the immediate years preceding the Civil War. Works such as this provided the public with visual records of contemporary culture and institutions across the United States.

Homer’s work in illustrated journalism established his reputation and provided a crucial early platform for his artistic development. The sharp contrasts and linear clarity inherent in the wood engraving technique underscore the formality and structure of the event depicted. This piece, which exemplifies the artist's early mastery of illustrative composition, is an important example of American print culture and is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Prints of this historical work are widely studied and are often found in the public domain, testifying to its historical importance.