Making Hay, from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVI

Making Hay, from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVI by Winslow Homer, is a detailed wood engraving dating from 1872. This classification as a print highlights Homer’s prolific work as an illustrator for influential American periodicals during the post-Civil War era. The robust medium of wood engraving was crucial for the mass reproduction of images in publications like Harper's Weekly, allowing the artist's sophisticated observations of contemporary life to reach a broad national audience.

The work captures an intimate yet generalized scene of rural American labor. Homer depicts men, women, and children engaged in the demanding, collaborative process of haymaking. Figures, including boys and girls, are shown actively involved in the agricultural cycle, emphasizing the reliance on multi-generational family units for farm operations during this period. Homer often turned his focus to genre scenes like this, documenting the essential working rhythms of American life away from burgeoning urban centers.

This particular print serves as an important document of 19th-century American agriculture and Homer’s developing narrative style, which balanced realism with quiet observation. Prints circulated widely in the public domain via weekly publications, offering accessible visual commentary on cultural changes. The original impression of Making Hay is preserved within the extensive collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, securing its place in the history of American visual media.