ticketsMember | Make a donation

Channel Bass

Winslow Homer American
1904
Not on view
In January 1904, Homer arrived in Homosassa, a village on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Declaring the fishing there “the best in America," the artist-outdoorsman also capitalized on the activity’s creative potential, as he had during previous angling expeditions in the Adirondacks and Canada. This watercolor features a channel bass, whose sparkling scales Homer likened to "a $20 gold piece." In a nod to the Homosassa River’s famously clear, shallow water, the artist surrounded the fish with layers of transparent lapis-blue wash. The luminous jewel tones belie harsher realities: the bass appears to have been "foul-hooked" (caught outside the mouth), its connection to the line precarious. Glass bottles in the river amplify the sense of human encroachment on the environment, while also providing an indication of scale.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Channel Bass
  • Artist: Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine)
  • Date: 1904
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper
  • Dimensions: 11 1/4 x 19 3/8 in. (28.6 x 49.2 cm)
    Framed: 24 1/2 x 30 1/2 in. (62.2 x 77.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: George A. Hearn Fund, 1952
  • Object Number: 52.155
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Annie Lawrie (Sheet music cover), Winslow Homer American, Lithograph
Annie Lawrie (Sheet music cover)
Multiple artists/makers
1850–59
Sunday Morning in Virginia – From the Painting by Winslow Homer in the National Academy of Design (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XXIV), Winslow Homer American, Wood engraving
Sunday Morning in Virginia – From the Painting by Winslow Homer in the National Academy of Design (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. XXIV)
Winslow Homer
May 22, 1880
A Quiet Day in the Country (from "Appleton's Journal," Vol. III), Winslow Homer American, Wood engraving
A Quiet Day in the Country (from "Appleton's Journal," Vol. III)
Winslow Homer
D. Appleton & Co.
June 6, 1870
George Blake's Letter (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. IX), Winslow Homer American, Wood engraving
George Blake's Letter (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. IX)
Winslow Homer
January 1870
"I Cannot! It Would Be a Sin! A Fearful Sin!" (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. VI), Winslow Homer American, Wood engraving
"I Cannot! It Would Be a Sin! A Fearful Sin!" (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. VI)
Winslow Homer
September 1868

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.