Thanksgiving Day - The Dinner 27 - 1858

Editor: This image, "Thanksgiving Day - The Dinner," designed by Winslow Homer, looks to be a print illustration. It depicts a large family gathering. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Notice how the artist uses cross-hatching to create the image. This highlights the material conditions of its production; a mass-produced image for Harper’s Weekly. Consider the labor involved in its creation and distribution, and its role in shaping ideas about family and consumption. Editor: So, it's not just the subject, but also how it was made and consumed that matters? Curator: Exactly! The engraving process itself, its accessibility via mass media, and its contribution to the commodification of Thanksgiving are all vital. Editor: That's a completely different way to look at it, thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It's all about the material and the means by which art enters our lives.