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PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, PENNSYLVANIA
Lot 48
WINSLOW HOMER(1836-1910)Shipbuilding, Ipswich 11 x 16 in. (27.9 x 40.6 cm.)
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Ending from 18 November 2025, 23:59 EST
New YorkUS$80,000 - US$120,000
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WINSLOW HOMER (1836-1910)
Shipbuilding, Ipswich
watercolor on paper
11 x 16 in. (27.9 x 40.6 cm.)
Executed in 1873.
watercolor on paper
11 x 16 in. (27.9 x 40.6 cm.)
Executed in 1873.
Footnotes
Provenance
A.L. Burgess Gallery, New Jersey.
Private collection, acquired from the above, 1966.
By descent to the present owner from the above, 1996.
Literature
L. Goodrich, A.B. Gerdts, ed., Record of Works by Winslow Homer: Volume II, 1867 Through 1876, New York, 2005, p. 258, no. 480, illustrated.
W.R. Cross, Winslow Homer: American Passage, New York, 2022, p. 438.
In the summer 1873, Winslow Homer retreated to the coast of Massachusetts just north of Boston, spending most of his time immersing himself in the daily life of the fishing villages of Cape Ann. This period marked a significant turning point in his artistic career, as it was during this summer that Homer first began to experiment seriously with the medium of watercolor. The works he produced in Ipswich and the surrounding coastal towns are recognized as some of his finest achievements. Through these works, Homer captured the natural beauty of the New England seacoast and the industrious rhythm of maritime life, laying the foundation for the mature style that would later define his legacy as one of America's foremost realist painters.
Homer concentrated his efforts on scenes of everyday life, recording the habits and routines of the villagers, particularly focusing on the fishermen and boatbuilders who were the lifeblood of the regions fishing operations. In 1668, the town of Ipswich granted land to its inhabitants to build a shipyard and the shipbuilding industry has continued uninterrupted since that date, though that land is now part of modern-day Essex, which lies between Ipswich and Gloucester. By the early 1840s, however, the local economy shifted. Ipswich and nearby Essex no longer maintained their own fishing fleets but had become specialized shipbuilding centers that supplied vessels to other ports, including Gloucester, the thriving hub of the North Shore's fishing trade. Captains from across New England traveled to Ipswich to commission ships, drawn by the region's reputation for superior workmanship and design.
Shipbuilding, Ipswich masterfully exemplifies the artistic and cultural significance of this period for Homer. In the present work, Homer depicts a partially completed schooner, still propped up on stilts dominating the picture plane. In the foreground he renders the bushy vegetation littered with errant building materials and tools associated with the arduous task of building these vessels. To the left of the picture plane, there appears to be a completed crow's nest, though the schooner does not yet have its mast in place, so it may be for another vessel in the shipyard. Homer executed the present work with fluid brushwork and a restrained, neutral color palette punctuated by vivid accents of cobalt blue and brick red. The exactitude of his rendering of the ship reveals his growing mastery of watercolor as well as his continued precision inherited from his earlier career as an illustrator.
Immersed in the honest labor and rugged beauty of coastal Massachusetts, Homer forged a new visual language grounded in observation, simplicity, and truth. Shipbuilding, Ipswich and other works from this period embody a balance between documentary realism and poetic expression, signaling Homer's position as a mature artist deeply attuned to the American landscape and spirit. In the quiet industry of Ipswich's shipyards, Homer found not only subjects for his work, but also the inspiration that would influence the trajectory of his artistic career for decades to come.
Saleroom notices
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