The Morning Bell 1873

Winslow Homer made this print, The Morning Bell, sometime in the 1870s. The scene captures a group of women and children crossing a wooden bridge, presumably on their way to work in a textile mill. This image creates meaning through visual codes. The bell itself, prominently placed above the factory building, symbolizes the regimented and demanding nature of industrial labor. The figures are presented as a collective, emphasizing their shared experience, their faces turned away from the viewer suggesting the loss of individuality within the factory system. This print reflects the social and economic changes occurring in post-Civil War America, specifically the growth of industrialization and its impact on rural communities. It might be seen as a social commentary on the changing roles of women and children in the workforce, and also touches on the growing tensions between labor and capital. To fully understand art like this we must consider the social and institutional contexts in which art is made. Researching the labor conditions of textile mills in the 19th century or the history of American printmaking, for example, can provide important insight into the artist's motivations and the artwork's meaning.