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WINSLOW HOMER (1836-1910)

ARTIST BIO INQUIREDOWNLOAD PDF
 
During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one? During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872. Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one?
In the Wheatfield (Girl Standing in a Wheat Field)187321 3/4 x 13 1/2 in.(55.25 x 34.29 cm) oil on canvas
Provenance
Sale: Clarence Collins et. al., American Art Association, New York, May 7, 1924, lot 96
Metropolitan Art Galleries, New York, 1924
M.A. Newhouse & Son, St. Louis, 1924
Laura Davidson Sears, Elgin, Illinois, 1924
Sears Academy of Fine Arts at the Elgin Academy, Illinois
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1967
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Pesses, Youngstown, Ohio, 1968
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1971
Private Collection, Massachusetts, 1972
Private Collection, Seattle, 1972–2013
Guar...More...isco Gallery, Washington, D.C
Private Collection, Boston, 2013
Exhibition
New York, Hirschl and Adler Galleries, American Paintings for Public and Private Collections, December 4, 1967-January 13, 1968, no. 54
West Palm Beach, Florida, Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, Discovering Creativity: American Art Masters, January 10 - March 17, 2024
Literature
“8 Paintings Stolen at Illinois School,” New York Times, July 6, 1958
“Stolen Art Recovered,” New York Times, July 8, 1958
Goodrich, Lloyd and Gerdts, Abigail Booth, Record of Works by Winslow Homer, Volume II: 1867 through 1876, New York, 2005, p. 209, no. 428 (illustrated)
...LESS... Price1,950,000
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“You have the sky overhead giving one light; then the reflected light from whatever reflects; then the direct light of the sun; so that, in the blending and suffusing of these several laminations, there is no such thing as a line to be seen anywhere.” – Winslow Homer

History

During the early 1870s, Winslow Homer frequently painted scenes of country living near a small farm hamlet renowned for generations for its remarkable stands of wheat, situated between the Hudson River and the Catskills in New York state. Today Hurley is far more famous for inspiring one of Homer’s greatest works, Snap the Whip painted the summer of 1872.

Among the many other paintings inspired by the region, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield is rich in sentiment, but not over sentimentalized. It directly relates to an 1866 study painted in France entitled, In the Wheatfields, and another, painted the following year after he returned to America. But Homer would have undoubtedly been most proud of this one. It is a portrait, a costume study, a genre painting in the great tradition of European pastoral painting, and a dramatically backlit, atmospheric tour de force steeped in the quickly fading gloaming hour light buoyed with lambent, flowery notes and wheat spike touches. In 1874, Homer sent four paintings to the National Academy of Design exhibition. One was titled, “Girl”. Might it not be this one?

In the Wheatfield has lived an exciting life, having at one point been part of an art heist in 1958. The painting was stolen from the Laura Davidson Sears Academy of Fine Arts, along with a James McNeil Whistler, Benjamin West, and Mary Cassatt, among others. Luckily, the paintings were recovered the next day. Looking at the painting with its glowing light and serene setting, it is easy to see why this Homer piece was so coveted and remains a jewel for any collector. Read the New York Times articles.

  • Homer at Bowden
    Winslow Homer, 1880, Bowden College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine
  • Homer 1908
    Portrait Winslow Homer at the age of 72
  • Homer with Gulf Stream
    Winslow Homer with “Gulf Stream”, circa 1900

MARKET INSIGHTS

Art Market Research Winslow Homer market graph May 1976 - January 2023
Art Market Research Winslow Homer market graph May 1976 – January 2023
  • Winslow Homer remains one of the most celebrated American artist with blockbuster museum shows continually dedicated to his works, including the Metropolitan Museum’s recent 2022 exhibition Crosscurrents.
  • Homer has set an auction record of $4.8 million with some of his top sales occurring recently, such as his April 19, 2023 sale of On the Beach at Marshfield for $4.3 million.

 

I prefer every time a picture composed and painted outdoors. The thing is done without your knowing it.” – Winslow Homer

Top Results at Auction

"Children on the Beach" (1873), oil on canvas, 12 ½ x 16 ½ in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 10 November, 2014 for $4,544,000
“Children on the Beach” (1873), oil on canvas, 12 ½ x 16 ½ in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 10 November, 2014 for $4,544,000
"On the Beach at Marshfield" (circa 1872), oil on canvas, 13 1/8 x 21 5/8 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 19 April, 2023 for $4,295,000
“On the Beach at Marshfield” (circa 1872), oil on canvas, 13 1/8 x 21 5/8 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 19 April, 2023 for $4,295,000
"Peach Blossoms" (1879), oil on canvas, 15 3/4 x 22 1/2 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 02 December, 2010 for $2,882,500
“Peach Blossoms” (1879), oil on canvas, 15 3/4 x 22 1/2 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 02 December, 2010 for $2,882,500
"Uncle Ned at Home" (1875), oil on canvas, 14 x 22 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 24 May, 2000 for $2,865,750
“Uncle Ned at Home” (1875), oil on canvas, 14 x 22 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 24 May, 2000 for $2,865,750
"Home, Sweet Home" (1863), oil on canvas, 21 ½ x 16 ½ in. Sold at Christie’s New York: 05 June, 1997 for $2,642,500
“Home, Sweet Home” (1863), oil on canvas, 21 ½ x 16 ½ in. Sold at Christie’s New York: 05 June, 1997 for $2,642,500
"Farmer with a Pitchfork" (1874), oil on board, 9 ½ x 13 1/2 in. Sold at Christie’s New York: 18 May, 2004 for $2,359,500
“Farmer with a Pitchfork” (1874), oil on board, 9 ½ x 13 1/2 in. Sold at Christie’s New York: 18 May, 2004 for $2,359,500

Comparable Paintings Sold at Auction

"Children on the Beach" (1873), oil on canvas, 12 ½ x 16 ½ in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 10 November, 2014 for $4,544,000
“Children on the Beach” (1873), oil on canvas, 12 ½ x 16 ½ in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 10 November, 2014 for $4,544,000
  • Both works are from the post-Civil War period.
  • Like our painting, Children on the Beach shows the daily life of typical country people, the basic elements of form and emotion are showed in the figures.
"Peach Blossoms" (1879), oil on canvas, 15 3/4 x 22 1/2 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 02 December, 2010 for $2,882,500
“Peach Blossoms” (1879), oil on canvas, 15 3/4 x 22 1/2 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 02 December, 2010 for $2,882,500
  • Both works are from the 1870s.
  • This work, like ours, depicts a female peasant subject in the countryside.
"Uncle Ned at Home" (1875), oil on canvas, 14 x 22 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 24 May, 2000 for $2,865,750
“Uncle Ned at Home” (1875), oil on canvas, 14 x 22 in. Sold at Sotheby’s New York: 24 May, 2000 for $2,865,750
  • Both works are from the same period, the 1870’s.
  • Featuring a country setting, both works elevate the subject of ordinary people in Homer’s world.

Paintings in Museum Collections

"Snap the Whip" (1872), oil on canvas, 12 x 20 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
“Snap the Whip” (1872), oil on canvas, 12 x 20 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
"A Sick Chicken" (1874), watercolor, gouache and graphite on paper, 9 ¾ x 7 3/f in., The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C
“A Sick Chicken” (1874), watercolor, gouache and graphite on paper, 9 ¾ x 7 3/f in., The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C
"The Veteran in a New Field" (1865), oil on canvas, 24 x 38 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
“The Veteran in a New Field” (1865), oil on canvas, 24 x 38 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
"Returning from the Spring" (1874), oil on panel, 8 x 5 ¾ in., The Portland Museum of Art, Maine
“Returning from the Spring” (1874), oil on panel, 8 x 5 ¾ in., The Portland Museum of Art, Maine
"The Dinner Horn" (1873), oil on canvas, 11 7/8 × 14 1/4 in., Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
“The Dinner Horn” (1873), oil on canvas, 11 7/8 × 14 1/4 in., Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit

Authentication

Authentication

Goodrich, Lloyd and Gerdts, Abigail Booth, Record of Works by Winslow Homer, Volume II: 1867 through 1876, New York, 2005, p. 209, no. 428 (illustrated)

“When you paint, try to put down exactly what you see. Whatever else you have to offer will come out anyway.” – Winslow Homer

Image Gallery

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Additional Resources

Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents Virtual Opening | Met Exhibitions
An introduction to Winslow Homer | National Gallery
A Closer Look at Winslow Homer | Insider Insights

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