The Lady in Black, Meadowbrook Parsonage (from "The Mistress of the Parsonage," in "Harper's Weekly") 1860

Winslow Homer made this wood engraving titled, *The Lady in Black, Meadowbrook Parsonage,* which appeared in *Harper's Weekly* in 1860. The image illustrates a story from a popular magazine, reflecting the growing market for visual narratives that spoke to middle-class readers. Homer's illustration offers insight into the social expectations of women during this period, particularly within the domestic sphere. The woman’s somber dress and reserved posture suggest themes of mourning, or perhaps a social role defined by decorum and constraint. Note how the image is framed by the architecture of the parsonage, reinforcing the idea of women's lives as centered in the home. To fully understand the work, one might research the literary context of the story it accompanies, or examine other visual representations of women in popular media of the time. The image itself thus becomes a lens through which to examine the social and cultural values of mid-19th-century America.