Oct 26, 2012
Apr 7, 2008

Shepherdess

Shepherdess

c. 1878

Winslow Homer

(American, 1836–1910)

Charcoal with brush and brown wash, heightened with white chalk; framing lines in graphite

Support: Beige(1) wove paper

Sheet: 41.8 x 25.8 cm (16 7/16 x 10 3/16 in.); Image: 41 x 24.1 cm (16 1/8 x 9 1/2 in.)

Gift of Dr. J. A. Vincent 1924.489

Location

Description

Homer spent the summer of 1878 at Mountainsville, New York, where his brother's business partner, Lawson Valentine, had a country place called Houghton Farm. While there he developed pastoral images of shepherdesses. The flirtatious quality of these depictions becomes intriguing when we consider that Homer never married, and that he worked not only from female models but also sometimes from boys in girls' clothing.

See also

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