A Snow Slide in the City (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. IV) 1860

Winslow Homer’s "A Snow Slide in the City," published in Harper's Weekly, was made with wood engraving, a technique of carving an image into a block of wood for printing. Here, Homer captured a chaotic moment, a sudden cascade of snow and ice from a rooftop sending city dwellers scrambling. Look closely, and you can see how the engraver’s lines create a dynamic sense of movement. The varying thickness and density of the lines give depth and texture to the scene, from the heavy snow to the delicate fabrics of the pedestrians’ clothing. Wood engraving was crucial for mass media. It allowed images to be reproduced quickly and widely, bringing scenes like this one into homes across the country. Consider the labor involved: from the artist creating the initial sketch, to the skilled engravers translating it onto the block, to the printing presses churning out thousands of copies. This image, born from a collective effort, reminds us that even seemingly simple artworks are products of complex social and economic systems.