About This Lesson
Explore Winslow Homer’s life and the events that inspired him to paint The Fog Warning. Learn how Homer’s realism advances democratic values and offers a compelling view of American history.
Homer’s realism can also be read as vivid historical records. While creating objective illustrations as a frontline Civil War correspondent, Homer’s paintings recorded the war’s modern technology and democratic nature. Then he turned his talents to depicting the changing role of women in post-Civil War society, New England’s farmers, and former slaves during Reconstruction. Throughout his career Homer documented the lives of average Americans in a straightforward, spontaneous manner, focusing especially on the people who lived and worked on the edges of the sea.
