Wikimedia Commons • Public Domain
Snap the Whip
StyleAmerican Realism
Artwork Details
Where to See It
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OHYoungstown, United States
Permanently housed
Cite or Embed This Work
APA · MLA · Chicago1-click academic citation and embeddable “On View” museum badge for articles, syllabi, and research.
Winslow Homer captured American childhood in this iconic image of boys playing the game Snap the Whip. The barefoot children race across a meadow outside their rural schoolhouse, hands linked in a line about to break. Homer painted this shortly after the Civil War, celebrating national innocence.
The painting embodies optimism about America's future through its energetic youth. Homer's clear light and precise draftsmanship give the scene documentary clarity. Displayed at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio.
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About Snap the Whip
This version hangs at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. Another version is at the Metropolitan Museum.
Winslow Homer was one of America's greatest painters, known for scenes of rural and maritime life.
Snap the Whip is a children's game where players hold hands in a line and run until the end person is "snapped" off by momentum.
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