1836-1910. US painter and lithographer, known
for his seascapes, both oils and
watercolours, which date from the 1880s and
1890s. Homer, born in Boston, made his
reputation as a realist painter with
Prisoners from the Front 1866 (Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York), recording miseries
of the American Civil War. After a visit to
Paris he turned to lighter subjects, studies
of country life, which reflect early
Impressionist influence. He stayed in Britain
for two years, then settled in Maine, but
continued to travel to Canada, the West
Indies, and elsewhere.