Artwork
A Country Store, Getting Weighed

A Country Store, Getting Weighed is a print by the Impressionist artist Winslow Homer. It dates from 1871 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1871, *A Country Store, Getting Weighed* is a print by American artist Winslow Homer. Though later celebrated for marine subjects, Homer was at this stage transitioning from commercial illustration to fine art, and the work records a moment inside a modest rural shop.
Subject & Meaning
The image centers on a group of women in long skirts and hats and a man in a suit, gathered around a counter that holds a weighing scale. The man holds a small object while the women watch attentively, suggesting a routine commercial transaction that reveals everyday social interaction in a 19th‑century countryside setting.
Technique & Style
Executed as a print, the composition relies on stark contrasts between a darkened interior and the illuminated figures, emphasizing form over detail. The handling of light and the focus on a fleeting, ordinary scene align the work with the broader 19th‑century interest in depicting daily life, a concern later associated with Impressionist tendencies.
History & Provenance
Homer produced the piece during his early post‑illustration period, before his reputation as a leading painter of seascapes was fully established. The print was circulated among the artist’s peers and collectors of American genre images, and it now resides in several public collections that document his formative years.
Artist & collection
Artist
Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects.



















