Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
A Garden in Nassau
Winslow Homer American
Not on view
In the years following the U.S. Civil War, the Bahamas sought to revive their economy with tourism. Hoping to attract wealthy visitors, especially from the nearby United States, advertising campaigns celebrated the islands as picturesque tropical paradises and promoted the healthful, restorative climate as a refuge from winter weather up north. Homer’s vibrant watercolor, intended for viewers back home, celebrates the lush, verdant landscape while also suggesting the exclusion of Black islanders from aspects of Bahamian society. The coral and limestone wall, traditionally used to enclose the gardens of Nassau’s private residences, separates the child from the landscape beyond. Homer originally included two additional figures attempting to climb over the gate to retrieve coconuts but later edited them out.
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