The Late William Wood

The Late William Wood is a significant early work by Winslow Homer, executed in 1857. This striking print, a wood engraving, exemplifies the high-quality illustrative work that characterized Homer’s formative years in the United States. Before achieving international fame as a painter, Winslow Homer worked extensively as a commercial illustrator, contributing numerous images to popular magazines and periodicals of the era.

Created when Homer was still mastering his technique in Boston, this work belongs to the American school of 19th-century graphic arts. Wood engraving was a popular and efficient form of mass media reproduction at the time, enabling publications to quickly disseminate visual information and commentary to a wide audience across the country. Homer’s meticulous draftsmanship, visible even in these early prints, was crucial for translating detailed images into the rigid structure required for the engraving process.

The specific subject of The Late William Wood likely served as a memorial portrait or an illustration accompanying an obituary for a contemporary public figure. This type of assignment allowed Homer to practice figurative depiction and character study, skills that laid the foundation for his later mastery of American realism. This valuable example of early American prints by the master illustrator is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Due to its age and cultural significance, the work is often made available through public domain resources for research and educational purposes.