Winslow Homer Civil War Art:
The Pirate Ship Alabama
This April 25, 1863 Harper's Weekly gives us a taste of a
theme that will dominate Winslow Homer's Work for most of his life following
the Civil War . . . the sea. The illustration is captioned, "The
Approach of the British Pirate Alabama". The image is signed in the
lower left corner with Homer's distinctive mark. The image shows a
dramatic scene of a man on a ship's deck, looking through a telescope.
In the distance, a British pirate ship can be seen. A group of
concerned women surround the man, looking for news on what he sees.
This image is classic Winslow Homer, and introduces us to a new phase in his
career . . . one of capturing dramatic sea scenes. This theme will
dominate his illustrations for the remainder of his life.
April 25, 1863 - The Approach of the
British Pirate "Alabama" (Click on Image for Enlarged View)
A Note to our Readers
We acquired the images above for the
purpose of digitally persevering them on this site for all to enjoy.
With the digital archive complete, we are making the original, 140 year
old illustrations available for purchase. By selling these
original illustrations, we are able to acquire more material to archive
on this site. If you are interested in purchasing one of the
original Harper's Weekly leafs on this page, contact
leafs are available for a price of $250 a piece, and the proceeds will go to continue to expand the
resources on this site.