Hon. William Haile, Governor of New Hampshire

The professional career of Winslow Homer began with commercial illustration, exemplified by the early work, Hon. William Haile, Governor of New Hampshire, created in 1857. This detailed work is classified as a print, specifically a wood engraving. Homer was working primarily in Boston at this time, contributing illustrations to various publications before gaining widespread recognition for his Civil War reportage and subsequent fine art paintings.

The subject is William Haile (1807-1876), a prominent figure in the politics of the United States who served as the 25th Governor of New Hampshire. Wood engravings like this were crucial during the mid-19th century for disseminating accurate images of political figures and current events to a broad American public. Homer utilized the demanding technique of wood engraving, where the design is carved into the end-grain of a block, allowing for crisp lines suitable for mass reproduction. This piece demonstrates Homer’s precise draughtsmanship, even in the technical confines of the relief print medium necessary for newspaper and magazine circulation.

Though better known for his subsequent oil paintings and watercolors, this early illustrative work provides essential insight into Homer’s initial phase as a commercial artist. The popularity and reproducibility of works like Hon. William Haile, Governor of New Hampshire ensured their wide distribution, and today, many such early prints are considered to be in the public domain. This specific impression of the 1857 engraving is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, preserving a significant example of American 19th-century illustration.