"I Cannot! It Would Be a Sin! A Fearful Sin!" (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. VI) 1868

This illustration by Winslow Homer, titled "I Cannot! It Would Be a Sin! A Fearful Sin!", depicts a dramatic scene from a novel. A woman, kneeling and clutching her face, is confronted by a man standing over her, who seems to be asking her a difficult question. The composition and dramatic lighting give a sense of tension and intrigue, characteristic of Homer's early work. The illustration was originally published in "The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading" in 1868.