Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Mrs. Donald S. Stralem, New York, 1978
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1989
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Winslow Homer
(American, 1836–1910)
Haymakers
1867
Oil on canvas
Image: 13 1/8 x 18 1/4 in. (33.3 x 46.4 cm)
Frame: 20 1/8 x 25 3/16 in. (51.1 x 64.0 cm)
Frame: 20 1/8 x 25 3/16 in. (51.1 x 64.0 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1989.9
SignedLower left: Winslow Homer
InterpretationWinslow Homer’s Haymakers shows field workers at day’s end, near the conclusion of their labors. Two women in the foreground, with rakes over their shoulders, stand at ease amidst the scattered remains of the dried grasses. They gaze toward the distant sunset as they await two other women and a man working to complete a tall stack; two more haystacks are visible in the distance over the cleared field, and a village is discernible in the background. The working figures are almost invisible in the shadows of the haystack, but the two women in the foreground are sturdy, upright forms silhouetted against the background landscape and golden sky.
Haymakers is one of three small paintings in the Terra Collection that Homer made during a ten-month visit to France, in 1866 and 1867. During that time, he came under the influence of a group of progressive French artists who rejected then-popular conventions of perfectly realized detail, smoothly finished surfaces, and exotic subject matter. Called the Barbizon school after the small village near Paris where many of these artists worked, they embraced rural life and the humble agricultural landscape. Undoubtedly inspired by such widely known works as The Gleaners (1857, Paris, Musée d’Orsay) by the Barbizon painter Jean-François Millet (1814–1875), Homer painted several small images of farm laborers with haystacks, a symbol both in Europe and in America of natural fecundity.
These bucolic images are among the first works made by Homer after the Civil War images with which he began his career as a painter. Haymakers establishes two important themes for Homer’s painting in the following two decades: women and rural life. Sturdy and dignified standing women, in a variety of settings and representing a range of social types, recur often in Homer’s paintings. Homer was particularly drawn to pairs of such female forms, a motif echoed, for example, in the watercolor Apple Picking (TF 1992.7), also in the Terra Foundation’s collection. Throughout the 1870s, scenes of American country life dominated Homer’s output. Although possibly stimulated initially by his exposure to French art, Homer joined his rural imagery to a wider American focus on the countryside as a metaphor for the nation’s vanishing youth and lost innocence.
Haymakers is one of three small paintings in the Terra Collection that Homer made during a ten-month visit to France, in 1866 and 1867. During that time, he came under the influence of a group of progressive French artists who rejected then-popular conventions of perfectly realized detail, smoothly finished surfaces, and exotic subject matter. Called the Barbizon school after the small village near Paris where many of these artists worked, they embraced rural life and the humble agricultural landscape. Undoubtedly inspired by such widely known works as The Gleaners (1857, Paris, Musée d’Orsay) by the Barbizon painter Jean-François Millet (1814–1875), Homer painted several small images of farm laborers with haystacks, a symbol both in Europe and in America of natural fecundity.
These bucolic images are among the first works made by Homer after the Civil War images with which he began his career as a painter. Haymakers establishes two important themes for Homer’s painting in the following two decades: women and rural life. Sturdy and dignified standing women, in a variety of settings and representing a range of social types, recur often in Homer’s paintings. Homer was particularly drawn to pairs of such female forms, a motif echoed, for example, in the watercolor Apple Picking (TF 1992.7), also in the Terra Foundation’s collection. Throughout the 1870s, scenes of American country life dominated Homer’s output. Although possibly stimulated initially by his exposure to French art, Homer joined his rural imagery to a wider American focus on the countryside as a metaphor for the nation’s vanishing youth and lost innocence.
Mrs. Donald S. Stralem, New York, 1978
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1989
Exhibition History
American Painters in France, 1830–1930, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 14–September 3, 1989. [exh. cat.]
Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 1992.
Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994. [exh. cat.]
Giverny: une impression américaine (Giverny, An American Impression), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1998.
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]
American Artists in France, 1860–1910, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 10–June 3, 2001.
D'une colonie à une collection: le Musée d'Art Américain Giverny fête ses dix ans (From a Colony to a Collection: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 30–June 16, 2002.
A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003.
The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940 (Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains 1840–1940), Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 15–May 25, 2003; Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 8–August 17, 2003. [exh. cat.]
A Narrative of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 13–October 31, 2004.
Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 31, 2005. [exh. brochure]
Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 29, 2006. [exh. brochure]
Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, February 16–May 11, 2008. [exh. cat.]
Americans Abroad: Landscape and Artistic Exchange, 1800-1920 (穿越大洋的艺术 | 美国印第安纳大学埃斯凯纳齐艺术博物馆藏19–20世纪风景画展)", Exhibition partnership between the Eskenazi Museum of Art (Indiana University) and the Tsinghua University Art Museum (organizers). Venue: Tsinghua University Art Museum, Beijing, China, September 21, 2018–March 17, 2019. [exh. cat.]
Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 1992.
Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994. [exh. cat.]
Giverny: une impression américaine (Giverny, An American Impression), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1998.
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]
American Artists in France, 1860–1910, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 10–June 3, 2001.
D'une colonie à une collection: le Musée d'Art Américain Giverny fête ses dix ans (From a Colony to a Collection: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 30–June 16, 2002.
A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003.
The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940 (Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains 1840–1940), Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 15–May 25, 2003; Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 8–August 17, 2003. [exh. cat.]
A Narrative of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 13–October 31, 2004.
Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 31, 2005. [exh. brochure]
Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 29, 2006. [exh. brochure]
Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, February 16–May 11, 2008. [exh. cat.]
Americans Abroad: Landscape and Artistic Exchange, 1800-1920 (穿越大洋的艺术 | 美国印第安纳大学埃斯凯纳齐艺术博物馆藏19–20世纪风景画展)", Exhibition partnership between the Eskenazi Museum of Art (Indiana University) and the Tsinghua University Art Museum (organizers). Venue: Tsinghua University Art Museum, Beijing, China, September 21, 2018–March 17, 2019. [exh. cat.]
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 10, 26, 234; fig. 64, p. 235 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 10, 26, 234; fig. 64, p. 235 (color).
Haymakers, Winslow Homer. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 1992. Ill. (black & white).
Wilson, Claire. "Winslow Homer at Giverny." France Magazine 35 (Summer 1995). Ill. p. 7.
Tedeschi, Martha with Dahm, Kristi. Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light. (exh. cat., The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago, Illinois: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2008. Text p. 30; ill p. 30 fig. 17 (color). Regard sur cinq années d'expositions (Five Years of Exhibitions at a Glance). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1997. Text p. 89; ill. p. 92 (color).
Haltman, Kenneth. "Antipastoralism in Early Winslow Homer." Art Bulletin 80:1 (March 1998): 93–112. Text p. 99; fig. 11, p. 98 (black and white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text pp. 13, 28 (checklist); ill. p. 2 (color), fig. 6, p. 13 (black & white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains, 1840–1940. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text pp. 13, 28 (checklist); ill. p. 2 (color), fig. 6, p. 13 (black & white).
Griffith, Bronwyn A. E. Passing Through Paris: Americans in France, 1860–1930. (exh. brochure, Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2005. Text n.p.; fig. 5, n.p. (color).
Griffith, Bronwyn A. E. Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930. (exh. brochure, Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2005. Text n.p.; fig. 5, n.p. (color).
Tedeschi, Martha with Kristi Dahm. Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light.(exh. cat., The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago, Illinois: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2008. Text p. 30; ill. fig 17, p. 30 (color).
Barter, Judith A., ed. The Age of Impressionism: Masterpieces from The Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, Illinois: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2011. Text, p. 20; ill. fig. 5 (color).
Tsinghua University Art Museum. Americans Abroad: Landscape and Artistic Exchange, 1800-1920. (exh. cat. Tsinghua University Art Museum) Beijing: Tsinghua University, 2018. Text p. 114; ill. p. 115 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 10, 26, 234; fig. 64, p. 235 (color).
Haymakers, Winslow Homer. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 1992. Ill. (black & white).
Wilson, Claire. "Winslow Homer at Giverny." France Magazine 35 (Summer 1995). Ill. p. 7.
Tedeschi, Martha with Dahm, Kristi. Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light. (exh. cat., The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago, Illinois: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2008. Text p. 30; ill p. 30 fig. 17 (color). Regard sur cinq années d'expositions (Five Years of Exhibitions at a Glance). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1997. Text p. 89; ill. p. 92 (color).
Haltman, Kenneth. "Antipastoralism in Early Winslow Homer." Art Bulletin 80:1 (March 1998): 93–112. Text p. 99; fig. 11, p. 98 (black and white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text pp. 13, 28 (checklist); ill. p. 2 (color), fig. 6, p. 13 (black & white).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains, 1840–1940. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text pp. 13, 28 (checklist); ill. p. 2 (color), fig. 6, p. 13 (black & white).
Griffith, Bronwyn A. E. Passing Through Paris: Americans in France, 1860–1930. (exh. brochure, Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2005. Text n.p.; fig. 5, n.p. (color).
Griffith, Bronwyn A. E. Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930. (exh. brochure, Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2005. Text n.p.; fig. 5, n.p. (color).
Tedeschi, Martha with Kristi Dahm. Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light.(exh. cat., The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago, Illinois: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2008. Text p. 30; ill. fig 17, p. 30 (color).
Barter, Judith A., ed. The Age of Impressionism: Masterpieces from The Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, Illinois: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2011. Text, p. 20; ill. fig. 5 (color).
Tsinghua University Art Museum. Americans Abroad: Landscape and Artistic Exchange, 1800-1920. (exh. cat. Tsinghua University Art Museum) Beijing: Tsinghua University, 2018. Text p. 114; ill. p. 115 (color).