The Battle of Bunker Hill – Watching the Fight from Copp's Hill, in Boston (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XIX)

The Battle of Bunker Hill – Watching the Fight from Copp's Hill, in Boston (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XIX) is a complex wood engraving created by Winslow Homer in 1875. This print was intended for mass distribution in the popular periodical Harper's Weekly, serving as both a historical illustration and a piece of contemporary commentary published during the centennial of the American Revolution.

Homer’s work depicts a tense, observational moment rather than the direct fighting of the 1775 conflict. The composition focuses on a gathering of men and women clustered closely together on the rooftops of Boston, utilizing their high vantage point above the city structures to view the distant skirmish across the water. The piece, while referencing the Revolutionary War, captures the anxiety and drama of civilian participation.

Homer uses the robust lines inherent to wood engraving to emphasize the grouping of figures, highlighting the diverse reactions of the men and women observing the engagement. The vantage point from Copp's Hill places the viewer alongside the spectators, creating a sense of immediacy despite the historical distance of the event being portrayed. This popular print demonstrates Homer’s early career mastery of illustrative composition and his recurring interest in historical narrative filtered through contemporary perspectives. This significant depiction of the American Revolution is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.