Hon. J. L. M. Curry of Alabama

Hon. J. L. M. Curry of Alabama is a compelling portrait created by Winslow Homer in 1860. This print exemplifies Homer’s early career focus as an accomplished illustrator, working primarily in the demanding medium of wood engraving for popular publications. Wood engraving requires the artist to carefully cut the image into the end-grain of a block, a technique that allowed for fine detail and rapid reproduction essential to the nascent mass media industry of the United States. Homer was known for capturing prominent contemporary figures and political events, making this depiction of Curry a timely journalistic endeavor.

Created just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, the work captures Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry, a powerful and vocal figure in Alabama politics who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and later the Confederate Congress. Homer renders the statesman in a traditional, slightly formal pose, suitable for a general audience seeking visual access to key national leaders during this contentious period. Portraits like this one provided essential documentation of the political landscape of 1860.

While known today chiefly for his later achievements in painting, Homer’s foundational skill as a printmaker is evident in the precise linework and tonal variation achieved in this early portrait. The piece, Hon. J. L. M. Curry of Alabama, is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. As with many significant works of this era, high-resolution images and prints are often made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring broader scholarly and public access to Homer’s graphic documentation of 19th-century America.