Winslow Homer Studio Fact Sheet
What is the capital campaign goal?
$8.3 million
How long will it take to preserve the building?
A few years.
Will the Studio be open to the public during the preservation?
The Studio will be closed to the public during the preservation project.
From whom did the Museum purchase the studio?
The Museum purchased the Studio from Charles Homer Willauer, the great grand-nephew of Winslow Homer.
How will the Museum use the Studio once it is restored?
The Studio will be used to celebrate Homer's life, encourage scholarship on Homer, and to educate young people to appreciate the artistic heritage of Winslow Homer and Maine. The Museum will form an advisory committee to determine how exactly the studio will be preserved and utilized.
What is the Portland Museum of Art's connection to Winslow Homer?
The Portland Museum of Art has long been a destination for scholars and admirers of Winslow Homer's work. Homer first exhibited here in 1893, showing the painting Signal of Distress. In 1976, Charles Shipman Payson, a philanthropist and summer resident of Maine, gave an outstanding collection of 17 works by Winslow Homer to the Museum, which included four oils and 13 watercolors, as well as $8 million to build an addition to house the collection. One hundred years after Homer moved to Prouts Neck in 1883, the Museum opened the new wing named after Charles Shipman Payson.
Are there other works by Winslow Homer in the Museum's collection?
The Museum's collection also includes such notable works as Homer's first oil painting, Sharpshooter; an original watercolor paint box, and a nearly comprehensive collection of 400 illustrations given to the Museum by the Osher family in 1991. The graphics collection includes more than 90% of Homer's graphic output and chronicles the artist's early career as a commercial illustrator.
When did Homer first visit Prouts Neck?
Winslow Homer first visited Prouts Neck in 1875, when his brother Arthur was honeymooning at a hotel there. Homer's oldest brother, Charles, decided to move to Prouts Neck in 1883, buying almost the whole Neck with the hopes of bringing the entire Homer family there and subdividing the property to create a summer resort.
Who was the architect for the Studio?
John Calvin Stevens and his brother-in-law Howard Stevens, of the Portland firm Fassett and Stevens, converted a carriage house to a studio and living quarters for Winslow Homer in 1883.
How large is the studio?
The Studio is 2200 square feet, 44 ft. x 53 ft., and two stories high.
Is the studio in its original location and were any architectural elements added?
The building was moved 100 feet away from the "Ark," the Homer family home, when it was converted from a carriage house to a studio. The porch or a "piazza," and a pergola were added for Homer and a painting room was added later. A kitchen was added after Homer's death.
What is the significance of the mill stone?
The stone is in the place where his garden was.
What about the original furnishings?
Many of the objects are original to the studio and owned by the Homer family. Homer used the hat, tortoise shell, and octant as props for his paintings. The sign reading "Snakes, Snakes, and Mice" was put outside the studio by Homer when he wanted to deter summer people or "the old ladies" from bothering him while he painted.
Who painted the portrait over the couch in the main room? Who is it?
It is a painting, dating to the 1830s, by an unidentified artist and it depicts Winslow Homer's father, Charles Savage Homer, Sr.
What did Homer write on the wall in the main room?
"What a friend chance can be when it chooses."
What is the significance of the rock with Homer's name plate on it? Is Homer buried there?
Homer is not buried at the studio. He is buried at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the family plot. He died in the studio in 1910. The name plate was probably put there by Homer's sister-in-law Mrs. Charles Savage Homer after his death. She inherited the property.
Where is Prouts Neck?
Prouts Neck is located in Scarborough, Maine, 12 miles from the Portland Museum of Art. Prouts Neck is a private enclave and summer colony with large shingle-style summer cottages passed down in families for generations.
Who is it named after?
Timothy Prout, a merchant, acquired Prouts Neck, then known as Black Point, in 1720. During the 18th century, the Prout family was slowly replaced by the Libby family. They rechristened the land "Libby's Neck," but the name never caught on.
How large is the Neck?
1500 acres or 2.34 square miles
What is the significance of the house to the right of the studio?
The house to the right of the studio as you look out at the ocean is the called the "Ark" and was previously owned by Homer's brother, Charles. The Homer family lived there during the summer months.
What are the names of the islands that you can see from the studio?
Stratton Island is to the left as you look out at the ocean, and Bluff Island is to the right. The west side of the Neck faces Old Orchard Beach.
How many hotels were there on Prouts Neck when Homer lived there?
There were eight hotels at the time that Homer lived there. There is only one hotel there now, The Black Point Inn.
Is there any connection between the studio and the church across the street?
Winslow's father, Charles Savage Homer, Sr., was instrumental in having the Saint James Episcopal Church built in the late 1880s.
Museum Information
The Portland Museum of Art is located at Seven Congress Square in downtown Portland. The Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday. Memorial Day through Columbus Day, the Museum is open on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with I.D., $4 for youth ages 6 to 17, and children under 6 are free. The Museum is free on Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Museum Cafe and Store. For more information, call (207) 775-6148. Web site www.portlandmuseum.org.