The Morning Bell (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVII)

The Morning Bell (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVII) is a significant print by Winslow Homer, created in 1873. Executed as a wood engraving, this work was originally disseminated through the pages of the widely circulated illustrated periodical Harper's Weekly. Homer, a defining figure in American art, worked extensively as an illustrator during the Reconstruction era, often documenting scenes that captured contemporary American social and working life. The reliance on wood engraving as a medium facilitated the mass reproduction of such imagery, ensuring this depiction of industrial life reached a broad, national readership.

The scene portrays a procession of workers responding to the summons of the titular bell, presumably indicating the start of a shift at a nearby mill or factory. Homer masterfully captures the daily routine, showing figures of men, women, and boys walking together along a path flanked by trees. The composition emphasizes the collective nature of factory labor, where the workforce is drawn from various segments of the community. The careful rendering characteristic of the wood engraving technique, including the manipulation of line and shadow, gives texture and dimension to the scene while grounding the subjects firmly in their rural industrial environment. This particular work provides valuable insight into 19th-century labor practices and remains an important example of Homer’s illustrative career. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds this definitive American print in its collection.