Baiting Homer's Hooks

January 3, 2009 By: Marshall Cutchin

Among the many oddities that one can stumble across in a an hour of browsing the National Geographic Web site is this Sam Abell photo of Leila Wilson’s front door. Next to the door are three trout likely mounted by Winslow Homer, an acquaintance of her uncle.
One of my favorite Homer pieces is of fishing sloops anchored in Key West Harbor around the turn of the 20th century. It captures the old style of fishing in south Florida and Cuba, where sloops were used for everything from turtling to sponging to transporting goods around the Caribbean. Compare it to the more famous “The Gulf Stream,” where the same style of vessel is wrecked and surrounded by sharks.