Artwork
Boys in a Dory
Boys in a Dory is a watercolor work on paper by the American Impressionist artist Winslow Homer. It dates from 1873 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2001.608.1
- Credit line
- Bequest of Molly Flagg Knudtsen, 2001
About this work
Two boys sit in a small wooden boat, one rowing while the other leans back against the side.
Two boys sit in a small wooden boat, one rowing while the other leans back against the side. The water is calm, and the light suggests late afternoon.
Homer painted this in watercolor, which was still new for serious art in 1873. The loose, quick strokes make the scene feel alive, like a snapshot. He often showed kids at ease in nature, away from city rules.
If you like this, look up more works in watercolor.
Subject & Meaning
The watercolor Boys in a Dory depicts a small boat carrying boys, a subject that emphasizes leisure and innocence in late 19th-century American life. The scene reflects Homer's early exploration of everyday coastal activities, rendered with simple, direct brushwork characteristic of his initial watercolor style. The painting is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and measures 24.8 cm by 35.2 cm.
Technique & Style
Boys in a Dory is executed in watercolor washes combined with gouache, laid over a graphite underdrawing on medium rough textured white wove paper. The medium is handled in a simple and direct manner, reflecting the artist's initial style of watercolors. The composition depicts a group of boys boating in a dory, rendered while Homer was working in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The sheet measures 24.8 by 35.2 centimeters.
The work is classified as a genre scene and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing.
History & Provenance
Created in 1873, Boys in a Dory is a watercolor and gouache work by Winslow Homer executed on medium rough textured white wove paper. The piece was rendered while the artist was in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and is considered one of Homer's earliest watercolors. Characterized by a simple and direct style, the work depicts a group of boys boating in a dory. It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Boys in a Dory is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is classified within the American Wing. The work was created in 1873 and depicts a group of boys in a boat. While the painting was executed in Gloucester, Massachusetts, its current location remains the Met.
No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, nor is there any record of its exhibition history.
Context
Boys in a Dory (1873) is identified as one of Winslow Homer's first watercolors, marking an early stage in his development of the medium. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's description, Homer's initial watercolor style was simple and direct, qualities that characterize this work. The painting was rendered during Homer's time in Gloucester, Massachusetts, situating it within his well-known period of working along the New England coast. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, classified within The American Wing.
The work fits within Homer's broader mid-19th-century genre output, depicting boys boating in a dory, a subject consistent with his interest in everyday maritime life. Its medium of watercolor washes and gouache over graphite underdrawing reflects the technique Homer employed in his early forays into the format.
Overview
“Boys in a Dory” is a watercolor and gouache work on medium‑rough white wove paper by American painter Winslow Homer, created in the early 1870s. The composition shows two young boys in a small wooden dory on calm water, one rowing and the other reclining against the gunwale, bathed in the soft light of late afternoon. The piece belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects.
