Winslow Homer produced a watercolor and an oil painting of Snap the Whip, as well as this print. In this game, the boys link arms and are pulled in a circle anchored by one child at the right. Gravity usually forces the children at the end of the line to let go, thus creating the “whip” effect. Here two children tumble to the ground, the result of being snapped at the end of the whip.
The dynamic composition of Snap the Whip focuses on the curving line of children, framed by the flowers in the foreground and the hills in the distance. Homer emphasizes the movement of arms and legs. The placement of the school building helps anchor the composition, and its straight lines serve as a foil to the figures of the children. In this print, Homer shows his great skill in using both line and tone to suggest realistic figures and setting.
Wood engraving is called a relief process because the print is created by carving away wood, allowing ink to be applied to the raised surfaces of the block. Like most wood engravings, this one was cut into the end grain of a very hard wood so that the image would stand up well during the printing of thousands of magazine pages.
Winslow Homer first drew his composition directly onto the surface of a wood block that had been polished and painted white. The design on the block is the reverse of the printed image, and Homer had to take this into account when planning the composition. Once the picture was drawn, an engraver – not the artist – cut away the white areas, leaving a raised design of lines and shapes. Ink was applied to the raised areas and the block was run through a printing press.
Snap the Whip was published in Harper’s Weekly on September 20, 1873. Early in his career, Homer worked for magazines that served a mass audience by publishing news, commentary, poetry, fiction, and advertisements. Between 1857 and 1875, Harper’s Weekly published more than half of Homer’s 220 engravings. The magazine’s wide circulation ensured that Homer’s work became well known throughout the country.
Winslow Homer was one of the most important American artists of the nineteenth century. Born in Boston, he was apprenticed at age fifteen to a lithographer. From 1857 to 1875 Homer worked freelance for illustrated magazines. He recorded Lincoln’s inauguration in March 1861 and covered the Civil War. In the 1870s, Homer turned his attention to painting and watercolors. He traveled to England and became fascinated with the subject of the sea and sailors. In 1883 he moved from the city to Prout’s Neck on the Maine coast. Living an isolated life, he painted the seascapes that are considered his greatest works.
