By Kevin McCarthy
Winslow Homer’s “The Herring Net”
As a fisherman in Florida, I’ve long been interested in fish-related subjects like the language of fishing, fishing and cussing, place names from fish, and how painters depict fishermen.
One famous painter who did some of his best work in Florida was Winslow Homer (1836 – 1910). His painting entitled “The Herring Net” has much to tell us about the hard life of fishermen and the unglamorous part of providing fish for our plates. The self-taught American painter spent many winters in our state and painted some well-known watercolors about the sea and fishermen and favorite fishing spots, although this particular “cold” scene is probably far away from our warm shores.
Homer’s favorite fishing spots in the state and ones that inspired him to paint were Enterprise on the St. Johns River, Homosassa, Jacksonville, Key West and Tampa. He described Homosassa in a letter to his brother in glowing terms: “Delightful climate here about as cool as our September—fishing the best in America as far as I can find.” The Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park has a permanent exhibit about Homer’s watercolors of the river there.
The copyright-free reproduction here of Homer’s “The Herring Net” shows the back-breaking toil of fishermen catching herring from a small dory. The one fisherman hauls in netted fish while the younger one unloads the catch. The two have to work together to make it a productive day and also to keep the small boat steady in the ocean waves. We can’t see the faces of the fishermen, suggesting that they represent many anonymous toilers in the sea, maybe mankind in general.
The isolation of the fishermen in the midst of a hostile sea points out how hard a fisherman’s life can be, one that relies on weather and fish runs and much patience. Notice how the young fisherman’s body leans over the side of the boat to counterbalance the weight of the many fish being pulled over the side in a net. The large sailing vessels in the distance may be where the two fishermen have come from in their dory and where they will return.
We know that the herring, sometimes called Atlantic Thread Herring, are in Florida’s coastal waters. Large dip nets can scoop up many of the herring either out in the depths of the ocean or in shallow streams near the coast. Many fishermen use the herring as a baitfish for catching other species, even lobsters. Aficionados like smoked herring. I like such paintings that show different sides of fishing, in this case how long and arduous a life it can be to provide delicacies for a public that might not always appreciate how hard a life some fishermen live.
Kevin McCarthy, the award-winning author of “South Florida Waterways” (2013 – available at amazon.com for $7), can be reached at ceyhankevin@gmail.com.
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