The Picnic Excursion

"The Picnic Excursion" is a striking wood engraving on paper created by Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910) in 1869. This classification of print was originally published in Appletons' Journal, a significant American magazine of the period, demonstrating Homer's prolific work as an illustrator during the mid-to-late 19th century in the United States. While today Homer is best known for his dramatic oil paintings and watercolors, his early career was heavily focused on providing compelling illustrations for popular periodicals, utilizing the time-intensive and technically demanding process of wood engraving to prepare imagery for mass circulation.

The subject matter captures a peaceful scene of middle-class leisure, a common theme Homer explored as the nation transitioned from the strife of the Civil War era. The composition shows smartly dressed men and women enjoying a relaxing outdoor meal, spread across the foreground. Homer’s mastery of illustration is evident in the sharp detail and skillful management of light and shadow, relying solely on line work to define form and texture, a necessary limitation imposed by the relief printing technique. This work, capturing a transient moment of American social custom, provides valuable insight into the visual culture and publishing industry of 1869. This important 19th-century print is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and due to its age, high-resolution prints of the work are often available through public domain collections.