Our Watering Places - The Empty Sleeve at Newport

"Our Watering Places - The Empty Sleeve at Newport" by Winslow Homer is a significant wood engraving created in 1865. This print captures a pivotal moment in the United States immediately following the Civil War, originally produced for popular illustrated publications such as Harper’s Weekly. Homer utilized the detailed precision of the wood engraving technique to offer subtle commentary on American society during Reconstruction. The work contrasts the continued pursuit of elite leisure with the unavoidable evidence of the conflict’s human cost.

The scene depicts the fashionable resort town of Newport, Rhode Island, a known ‘watering place’ for high society. Amidst the finely dressed women and uniformed officers enjoying conversation and relaxation, Homer prominently places the figure referenced in the subtitle: a soldier with an empty uniform sleeve, signifying a profound, life-altering war injury. Homer consistently observed the realities faced by returning veterans and the challenges of their integration into civilian high society. This piece exemplifies the artist’s early skill in social realism and his keen observation of American attitudes toward sacrifice and public life after four years of devastating conflict.

Classified as a historical print, the image remains a powerful record of American culture in 1865. Though widely circulated at the time, images like Our Watering Places - The Empty Sleeve at Newport today reside in prestigious collections, including that of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Homer’s wood engravings from this period are foundational visual documents of the post-war United States and are frequently studied as influential pieces of art history, often available for research through public domain initiatives.