Sunday after Christmas 1848

Sunday after Christmas 1848 by Winslow Homer, executed in 1868, is a significant example of American graphic art demonstrating the artist’s mastery of line and composition. This delicate drawing, rendered with precision using pen and brown ink on wove paper, is an intriguing study in chronology, capturing a retrospective domestic or communal moment nearly two decades prior to its actual creation. Homer’s choice of medium allows for sharp delineation and careful handling of shadow, typical of the detailed illustrative work that defined much of his early career.

The piece dates specifically to the transformative period of 1851 to 1875, when Homer was rapidly establishing himself as a leading visual commentator on American life, transitioning from magazine illustration to fine art painting. While produced during the Reconstruction era, the drawing’s reference to 1848 suggests an interest in earlier, perhaps idealized or specific memories of pre-Civil War life. Homer often employed drawing to refine compositions or capture immediate observations; here, the work showcases the economy of line characteristic of his mature style, wherein descriptive detail is achieved without excessive ornamentation.

This piece offers valuable insight into the techniques the artist employed before he moved toward his celebrated watercolor paintings. Classified officially as a drawing, it demonstrates the variety of media Homer mastered during his formative years in the late nineteenth century. The work is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., where it contributes to the broad study of American drawing traditions. Although such pieces are not immediately available in the public domain, high-quality prints derived from this collection allow scholars and admirers worldwide to study the subtle artistry of Homer’s expressive penmanship.