Sea-Side Sketches â A Clam-Bake
August 23, 1873
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of John Goldsmith Phillips, Jr.
Accession Number
1947-4-20
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer (1836–1910), one of America's foremost Realist painters, captured the vibrant energy of coastal life in *Sea-Side Sketches A Clam-Bake*, dated August 23,1873. This work, now in the Smithsonian American Art's collection (gift of John Goldsmith Phillips Jr.), belongs to Homer's series of seaside sketches, likely created during his summers in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Homer, transitioning from illustration to fine art, excelled at portraying everyday Americans at work and play, using quick, expressive drawings to study figures in their natural environments. The title evokes a clas...