"Dad's Coming!" (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVII)

"Dad's Coming!" (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVII) by Winslow Homer, created in 1873, is a significant example of American graphic arts during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. Executed as a wood engraving, this popular print was disseminated widely through the illustrated magazine Harper’s Weekly, reflecting Homer’s active career as a leading American illustrator and keen observer of daily life.

The composition captures a poignant, everyday scene on the coast. A small gathering of women and children waits anxiously on a slight bluff overlooking the sea, their attention fixed on a distant boat approaching the shore. The title explicitly identifies the subject of their eager anticipation. Homer’s technique employs strong contrasts and careful hatching, essential to the mid-19th-century wood engraving medium, to convey the texture of the coastal landscape and the emotional weight of the moment. The depiction of domestic scenes involving children and the harsh yet beautiful environment of the sea was a recurring and successful motif for Homer during this period.

As a readily accessible periodical print, this work provided the American public with art and narrative that celebrated idealized moments of family life. This type of commercially produced illustration proved instrumental in establishing the artist's reputation before he focused exclusively on watercolor and oil painting. Today, this important 1873 work is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because of its age and widespread circulation history, this artwork is frequently found in the public domain, allowing scholars and art enthusiasts globally to study Homer’s development as a master American printmaker.