The Chinese in New York – Scene in a Baxter Street Club-House (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XVIII)

Art Historical Context

This wood engraving by Winslow Homer, published in *Harper’s Weekly* on March 7, 1874, offers a rare glimpse into the daily life of Chinese immigrants in New York City. Titled *The Chinese in New York – Scene in a Baxter Street Club-House*, the image depicts a group of men gathered in an intimate interior, quietly smoking long-stemmed pipes. Created through the painstaking process of wood engraving, the work translates Homer’s original drawing into a detailed print that could reach thousands of American households via the popular illustrated magazine. At a time when Chinese immigration was rapidly increasing yet often met with suspicion, Homer’s scene humanizes its subjects by focusing on a moment of calm camaraderie rather than caricature. The setting on Baxter Street, near the emerging Chinatown, reflects the growing presence of Chinese communities in urban America during the post–Civil War era. As both artist and journalist, Homer used his keen observational skills to document social realities that many readers would never witness firsthand. Today, this print in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection stands as an important historical document and an early example of Homer’s interest in contemporary American life—interests he would later explore on a grander scale in his paintings.

About the Artist

Harper & Brothers|Winslow Homer|Harper's Weekly (American|American) · 1836 |1833 –1910 |1962

American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine|American, New York