The Collection
The American Wing Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Asian Art The Cloisters The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Robert Lehman Collection The Libraries Medieval Art Musical Instruments Photographs Antonio Ratti Textile Center Modern and Contemporary Art

Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Study for "The Gulf Stream"

Winslow Homer American

1898–99

Not on view

In this remarkable watercolor, Homer studied details of the bow of The Gulf Stream’s boat. Significantly, he indicated the precise arrangement of the brightly colored stalks of sugarcane across the deck. By placing sugarcane at the center of his composition and writing that "the subject of this picture is comprised in its title," Homer made an unequivocal reference to the institution of slavery. Sugar was a central commodity in the triangular trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, and the Gulf Stream current played an essential role in both its conveyance and the trafficking of enslaved people. The study also includes the damaged mast and gunwale (the upper edge of the vessel’s side), which he would later edit somewhat in the oil painting.

Study for "The Gulf Stream", Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine), Watercolor and chalk on wove paper, American — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Study for "The Gulf Stream"

Artist: Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine)

Date: 1898–99

Culture: American

Medium: Watercolor and chalk on wove paper

Dimensions: 14 1/2 x 10 1/16 in. (36.8 x 25.6 cm)
Framed: 23 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 1 1/4 in. (59.7 x 44.5 x 3.2 cm)

Credit Line: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Charles Savage Homer, Jr. (1912-12-36)

Rights and Reproduction: Courtesy Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution

The Met

The American Wing at The Met

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works by African American, Euro American, Native American, and Latin American artists, ranging from the colonial to early-modern period.