Watch-Tower 1874

"Watch-Tower" is a wood engraving created by Winslow Homer in 1874. The image depicts a watchtower in New York City, which features a watchman looking out over the city with a telescope, a clock tower, and a bell. The multiple-panel composition captures the bustling city life and its dependence on the watchtower's time-keeping, signaling, and safety-monitoring functions. Homer's detailed rendering highlights the industrial and architectural aspects of the tower, and the artwork offers a glimpse into the urban landscape of 19th-century New York.