Chime of Thirteen Bells for Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Manufactured by Messrs. Henry N. Hooper & Co., of Boston

The detailed print, Chime of Thirteen Bells for Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Manufactured by Messrs. Henry N. Hooper & Co., of Boston, was created by Winslow Homer in 1860. This powerful depiction of American industrial achievement is executed using the wood engraving technique, a medium crucial for rapid mass-illustration in 19th-century periodicals. As a classification of print, the work underscores Homer's early career as a prolific freelance illustrator, documenting newsworthy events and technological advancements across the United States.

The composition captures the immense scale of the commissioned bells, emphasizing the industrial prowess of the Messrs. Henry N. Hooper & Co. foundry in Boston. Homer focuses on the workers and the machinery necessary to produce this complex, multi-bell chime, illustrating the intersection of craftsmanship and engineering that defined major American construction projects of the era. The commission itself, intended for Christ Church in Cambridge, highlights the role of burgeoning cultural and religious institutions in the period just preceding the Civil War.

This historical image serves as an important document of 1860s American culture and technology. Homer’s sophisticated handling of light and line, even in the constraints of a published wood engraving, foreshadows his later compositional mastery. The work is held within the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it contributes to the museum’s comprehensive holdings of 19th-century prints. As part of the historical record, many such detailed wood engravings produced by Homer and his contemporaries are increasingly available in the public domain, ensuring widespread scholarly and public access.