Cambridge Cattle Market 1859

Winslow Homer's "Cambridge Cattle Market" (1859) depicts a bustling scene of livestock trading in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Created in the artist's early career, the wood engraving captures the hustle and bustle of the market, with men tending to cattle and buyers haggling over prices. The detail of the surrounding cityscape, including a church in the distance, provides a sense of the broader context for this everyday activity. This work reflects Homer's early interest in realism and documenting the lives of ordinary people, a theme that would continue to be central to his artistic development.