Skip Navigation

Eight Bells

Winslow Homer

American Art

Already established as a successful painter, watercolorist, and illustrator, Winslow Homer decided to try his hand at etching during the revival of this medium, creating eight finished plates between 1884 and 1889. In Eight Bells, one of his finest efforts, two fishermen track their ship’s position amid stormy seas using nautical instruments and the sound of bells that rang from shore at set times of day. The powerfully simplified and asymmetrical composition not only heightens the drama of their plight but also reveals Homer’s familiarity with Japanese design principles.
MEDIUM Etching of black ink on light beige, medium thick, smooth textured wove paper
DATES 1887
DIMENSIONS Sheet: 23 7/8 x 29 3/8 in. (60.6 x 74.6 cm) Image: 18 15/16 x 24 1/2 in. (48.1 x 62.2 cm)  (show scale)
MARKINGS Framer's marks on verso in graphite
SIGNATURE Signed lower right in graphite: "Winslow Homer"
INSCRIPTIONS Inscribed in plate below image center: "Copyrighted 1887 by C. Klackner 17 E. 17th St. NY"
COLLECTIONS American Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 2003.26
CREDIT LINE Bequest of Anita Steckler
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910). Eight Bells, 1887. Etching of black ink on light beige, medium thick, smooth textured wove paper, Sheet: 23 7/8 x 29 3/8 in. (60.6 x 74.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Anita Steckler, 2003.26 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2003.26_PS1.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 2003.26_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions
This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.