Christmas—Gathering Evergreens and The Christmas-Tree

The influential American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910) created the illustration Christmas—Gathering Evergreens and The Christmas-Tree in 1858. This early work showcases the burgeoning popularity of wood engravings on paper, the dominant printmaking technique used for mass-circulation periodicals across the United States. Published by the prominent weekly journal, Harper's Weekly, this print was designed to capture and define contemporary holiday customs for a broad national audience during the mid-19th century.

Homer's dual-image composition documents the ritualistic preparation for the holiday season. The imagery reflects a pivotal period when many now-standard American Christmas traditions, especially the decorated indoor tree and the gathering of natural materials, were being firmly established in domestic life. The print’s left panel depicts the outdoor labor of collecting natural decorations, while the right panel focuses on the resulting domestic scene centered around the newly fashionable Christmas tree. The detailed composition demonstrates Homer's early skill as an illustrator and keen observer of everyday life, traits that would define his mature paintings.

As an important example of 19th-century visual journalism and early commercial prints, the work is part of the extensive collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The original widespread distribution of this periodical illustration meant that these wood engravings served as essential cultural documents defining the cultural landscape of the era. Since the copyright has long expired, high-resolution prints of this historical work are widely available through the public domain, ensuring continued global access to Homer’s significant early contributions to American illustration.