The Sleighing Season – The Upset (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. IV)

Art Historical Context

### The Sleighing Season The Upset Published *Harper's Weekly* January 14, 1860, Winslow Homer's wood engraving *The Sleighing Season The Upset* captures moment of winter exuberance on the cusp of America's Civil War. At the outset of his career, the 24-year-old Homer vivid illustrations to this influential periodical, documenting the social customs of the era. Sleighing was a popular pastime in the Northeast, blending recreation with flirtation, and this image from Volume IV reflects the lively, communal spirit of mid-19th-century leisure. The scene humorously depicts the pandemonium of an overturned sleigh, with men, women, and horses entangled in the snow—likely evoking laughter amid the mishap. Rendered in meticulous wood engraving, a labor-intensive technique where artists incised designs into wooden blocks for high-contrast black-and-white printing, the work measures 9 1/8 x 13 3/4 inches. This medium was ideal for mass reproduction in weeklies like *Harper's*, making art accessible to a broad audience and foreshadowing Homer's mastery of realism. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928), this print offers a charming window into pre-war America, highlighting Homer's early talent for dynamic storytelling through everyday drama.

About the Artist

Winslow Homer|Harper's Weekly|Harper & Brothers · 1836–1910

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was one of America's greatest painters and a preeminent figure in 19th-century American art. Largely self-taught, Homer began his career as a commercial illustrator and Civil War correspondent for Harper's Weekly before becoming renowned for his powerful marine subjects and landscape paintings. His mastery of both oil and watercolor, combined with his uncompromising reali...