Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

Boy in Boat, Gloucester

A work made of transparent watercolor, with touches of opaque watercolor and scraping, over graphite, on moderately thick, rough-textured, ivory wove paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of transparent watercolor, with touches of opaque watercolor and scraping, over graphite, on moderately thick, rough-textured, ivory wove paper.

Date:

1880/81

Artist:

Winslow Homer
American, 1836-1910

About this artwork

Homer began Boy in Boat, Gloucester while staying at the lighthouse on Ten Pound Island in the harbor of the fishing town Gloucester, Massachusetts. During his time in Gloucester, the artist frequently depicted local boys playing on boats, fishing, and waiting for their fathers to return from the sea. In this watercolor he began experimenting with scraping, revealing the white of the paper to create highlights in the large rock at right. Furthermore, he was developing his skill in transparent watercolor, which he used to great effect for the reflective surface of the water.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Winslow Homer

Title

Boy in Boat, Gloucester

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1880–1881

Medium

Transparent watercolor, with touches of opaque watercolor and scraping, over graphite, on moderately thick, rough-textured, ivory wove paper

Inscriptions

Signed recto, lower right, in graphite: "W.H. sketch" Inscribed verso, lower center, in graphite: "M.K.W.C. 1023-//Man in Boat, Coast of Maine"; upper center, in graphite: "24"; top, in black crayon crossed out in graphite: "No 18 vol-A"

Dimensions

23.2 × 34.9 cm (9 3/16 × 13 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

Reference Number

1933.1243

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16800/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share