The Russian Ball—In the Supper Room

"The Russian Ball—In the Supper Room" is a significant wood engraving on paper created by Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910) and published by the influential journal Harper's Weekly in 1863. This print captures a lavish scene from one of the most celebrated social events of the American Civil War era. Homer, known both for his battlefield sketches and his acute observations of domestic life, utilized the demanding technique of wood engraving to reproduce the intricate detail necessary for mass media circulation in the United States.

The subject matter focuses on the supper room itself, portraying high-ranking officials and fashionable society engaged in conversation and dining, contrasting sharply with the ongoing national conflict. Created during 1863, the scene documents the celebrated Russian Fleet’s visit to New York and Washington D.C., an occasion of great diplomatic significance for the Union government. Homer expertly renders the social dynamics of the Gilded Age elite, using strong contrasts of light and shadow characteristic of the print medium to evoke the atmosphere of the crowded ballroom.

As an original illustration for a widely read publication, this work demonstrates Homer's early mastery of illustrative narrative. It stands today as an important cultural artifact documenting Civil War-era leisure and the societal mechanisms of distraction from wartime realities. This particular impression of the print is held within the esteemed permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Reproductions of high-quality prints like this often enter the public domain, allowing broad access to Homer’s documentation of nineteenth-century American life.