Crew of the United States Steam-Sloop "Colorado," Shipped at Boston, June 1861 by Winslow Homer is a pivotal early work created in 1861. Executed as a wood engraving, this image captures the immediate fervor and deployment activities following the start of the American Civil War. Homer, then working extensively as an illustrator and correspondent, focused on the human element of military mobilization, chronicling the lives of the men joining the Union cause.
The composition details the crowded decks of the steam-sloop Colorado as its crew prepares to depart Boston harbor. Homer’s skill in the demanding medium of wood engraving allowed for rapid reproduction in illustrated newspapers, providing the general public in the United States with visual news from the front lines and staging areas. This reportorial approach exemplifies his transition from commercial illustrator to a significant chronicler of American life. Such prints offer valuable insight into the logistical realities and demographics of naval service during this foundational period of conflict.
This specific impression of the wood engraving is held within the esteemed collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Because of their frequent publication and early date, many of Homer's prints from this era are widely accessible, often entering the public domain, which allows for broad scholarly study of his formative reportorial style. The work remains an important historical and artistic record of the Civil War's initial months.
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