Homeward (after Louis Paul Dessar)

Henry Wolf

In 1915, the year before his death, the American wood engraver Henry Wolf won the Grand Prize for his printmaking at the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) in San Francisco. The Wolf prints we have were available for sale at the PPIE and many were the actual prints exhibited and have the label from the PPIE.

We have not yet found information on the original painting of "Homeward" by Louis Paul Dessar. He frequently depicted pastoral scenes, especially in rural farmlands and in late evening or early morning for the dramatic effect of the light. This image lends itself particularly well to black and white interpretation, allowing for the moonlight to silhouette the horse and cart driven by the farmer, and the dog who trots alongside them.