Shepherdess Resting

Winslow Homer's pen-and-ink sketch depicts a shepherdess reclining in an open field, her crook resting nearby as sheep graze in the distance. The work demonstrates Homer's facility with line work and his interest in rural labor and leisure. Created during his period of illustration work for periodicals, the drawing showcases the naturalistic observation and economical draftsmanship that characterized nineteenth-century newspaper and magazine illustration—the visual foundation from which sequential narrative art would emerge.