Minnie Clyde 1857

Editor: So, this is Winslow Homer's "Minnie Clyde," a lithograph from 1857, here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The sepia tones give it a slightly nostalgic feel, almost like a faded photograph. I am curious, what draws your attention when you look at this particular print? Curator: Ah, "Minnie Clyde!" Doesn't it feel like we've stumbled into a half-remembered dream? For me, it’s about capturing a feeling, more than likeness. See how her gaze is directed upwards, seemingly at a kite in the distance. It gives her an innocence, a naivete. Almost too pure. Do you get that sense, too? Editor: I see what you mean. It feels almost theatrical, like a stage backdrop with the idealized countryside behind her. But what about the context? Curator: That's where it gets really juicy! Winslow Homer, despite later painting iconic American scenes, here he's working on a popular genre—sheet music covers! The sentimental ballad was king! This image would have invited you to participate in a world of feeling. To lose yourself in yearning, in sweetness… something America loves to this day! I wonder what kind of tune went along with it. Something about a lost love, maybe? Or a bird flying free. Editor: Interesting. I hadn’t considered it in terms of its commercial appeal at the time, with it being used as a sheet music cover. Curator: Precisely. Homer had to eat! He’s still so young here too, at 21 years old; not yet the master watercolorist or Civil War illustrator that most think about when they picture the name Winslow Homer. "Minnie Clyde" is like a time capsule to what fed and formed the sensibility of one of America's giants of art. And those are my favorite types of piece—the humble genesis that becomes genius. It's as human a journey as art ever delivers.