Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is an early, highly detailed work created by Winslow Homer in 1858. Classified as a print, the medium used is wood engraving, a robust and reproducible technique essential to the output of American media during the mid-nineteenth century. Homer, who began his career primarily as a commercial illustrator, utilized the precision of wood engraving to rapidly produce images for mass publication in the United States, often for periodicals such as Harper’s Weekly.

The subject of this portrait is the renowned American poet and academic, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Longfellow was one of the most celebrated literary figures of his time, and the production of his image reflects the growing American appetite for visual documentation of public figures. Homer’s technique successfully captures the likeness of the poet, utilizing sharp contrast and complex cross-hatching to define the form, demonstrating the artist’s mastery even during his illustrative phase.

This piece represents Homer’s significant early contributions to graphic arts before he transitioned his primary focus to oil painting in the following decade. The work resides today in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. As an historical example of early American prints, this image often circulates within public domain resources, providing broad access to Winslow Homer’s foundational contributions to visual culture.