(February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910)

Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects.

He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in American art.

Largely self-taught, Homer began his career working as a commercial illustrator. He subsequently took up oil painting and produced major studio works characterized by the weight and density he exploited from the medium. He also worked extensively in watercolor, creating a fluid and prolific oeuvre, primarily chronicling his working vacations.

As the war came to a close, and the understanding of what the war meant, a number of his portraits which depicted the war, including Prisoners from the Front and Veteran in a New Field, were reflective of the changes and ideas that Americans had about the war, and what it really meant to the nation.

During this time period, Winslow Homer and the career path he was following, was one that seemed to deal with quite a bit of experimentation, as well as trying new forms of art to portray his classical pieces of work. During this period, he was living in New York City; most of the money he made (and the way he paid the bills) was working as a painter, and designing work for magazines and illustrations for these magazines.