In a place by himself: Winslow Homer's remarkable images alternatively are poignant, witty, romantic, and thought-provoking.".

• Position: In a Place by Himself: The Graphic World of Winslow Homer - USA Yesterday

THIS YEAR MARKS the 100th anniversary of Winslow Homer's death. In recognition of the fact that this most iconic of all American artists spent the second half of his career on Saco Bay, Maine, the Saco Museum is presenting a celebration of his work as a graphic artist. From the 1860s into the 1880s, Homer produced finely crafted wood engravings for the pictorial press, including publications such as Harper's Weekly, Ballou's Pictorial, and Appleton's Journal, among others. His remarkable images alternatively are poignant, witty, romantic, and thought-provoking.

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After settling on Prouts Neck in Scarborough, Maine, in 1883, Homer resided at his family's estate in a remodeled carriage house a mere 75 feet from the sea, and his career as a graphic artist came full-circle, with a series of dramatic, large-scale etchings that celebrates the subject for which he became best remembered: the ceaseless force of the Atlantic Ocean. A selection from these late etchings is featured in the exhibition.

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Born is Boston, Mass., in 1836--the second of three sons of Charles Savage Homer and Henrietta Benson Homer (a talented amateur watercolor artist)--Homer started his career as a commercial illustrator after his father got him an apprenticeship (at age 19) to a commercial lithographer. He worked a lot on sheet music covers and some other commercial projects over the next two years. By 1857, he was a proficient freelancer after having turned down a full-time position at Harper's Weekly. "From the time I took my nose off that lithographic stone, I have had no master, and never shall have any," he commented years later.

His illustrating career lasted almost 20 years, at a time when the market for illustrators was expanding quite quickly, as fads and fashions were evolving rapidly. "His early works, mostly commercial engravings of urban and country social scenes, are characterized by clean outlines, simplified forms, dramatic contrast of light and dark, and lively figure groupings--qualities that remained important throughout his career," explains one biographer. "His quick success was mostly due to this strong understanding of graphic design and also to the adaptability of his designs to wood engraving."

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