The Christmas Tree - Winslow Homer
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed 1858 wood engraving by Winslow Homer depicting a Victorian family gathering around a decorated Christmas tree.
This wood engraving, titled The Christmas Tree, dates to 1858 and represents an early example of Winslow Homer's work as a commercial illustrator. Before he gained recognition for his later marine paintings and watercolours, Homer produced numerous illustrations for periodicals such as Ballou's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion. This specific piece captures a domestic scene of Victorian holiday celebration, featuring a group of adults and children gathered around a decorated tree.
The composition is typical of mid-nineteenth-century magazine illustration, utilising cross-hatching and fine line work to define the figures and the interior space. Homer depicts the figures in period attire, with the women in voluminous crinoline dresses and the men in formal coats. The central figure, a man reaching up to place an ornament on the tree, acts as the anchor for the surrounding group of children and observers. The scene conveys the social customs of the era, focusing on the communal nature of the holiday gathering. The background includes architectural details such as a framed mirror and draped curtains, which provide a sense of a formal parlour setting.
As a print, this work offers a view into the visual culture of the United States during the late 1850s. Homer's ability to organise a large number of figures within a confined space demonstrates his early proficiency in narrative composition. The print is rendered in monochrome, relying on the density of the engraved lines to create shadow and texture. This piece is a record of the period's domestic life and the popularisation of the Christmas tree tradition in American households during the mid-nineteenth century.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Christmas Tree - Winslow Homer
Artist Biography
Winslow Homer
He moved from illustration to painting without formal training, learning oil technique largely by observation. His early paintings are genre scenes of rural American life: children playing, women on croquet lawns, the kind of post-war pastoral that the public wanted. They sold well. He was dissatisfied with them.
In 1881 he went to Cullercoats, a fishing village in northeast England, and spent two years painting the women who waited on the shore for the fishing boats to return. The Cullercoats paintings are darker, more dramatic, and more serious than anything he had made before. The sea became his subject.
He moved to Prouts Neck, Maine, in 1883 and lived there, mostly alone, for the rest of his life. The Maine paintings, The Gulf Stream, Northeaster, Right and Left, are about the confrontation between human beings and the ocean. The figures are small. The water is enormous. The light is cold. He painted the sea the way Constable painted clouds: from direct observation, over years, until he understood its behaviour.
His watercolours, made on fishing trips to the Adirondacks, Florida, and the Bahamas, are freer and more experimental than the oils. Tropical sunlight and clear water brought out colours he did not use in Maine. He died in 1910, at seventy-four.
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