In 1884, Maine artist and illustrator Winslow Homer received a commission from Century Magazine to illustrate an article called “A Midwinter Resort” about Nassau, the port city of the Bahamas. When Homer went to the Bahamas later that year, there were only about 150 visitors at the height of the vacation season. Nassau was just beginning to develop a reputation as a destination for those suffering from illnesses made worse by the cold winters of the Northeast United States.

During the two months he stayed on the island, Homer painted more than thirty watercolors of a variety of subjects, including island architecture, sponge and coral fishing, fruit trees, and the unusual features of the landscape. He was also particularly interested in the day-to-day activities of the island’s black inhabitants. They were former slaves and descendants of slaves brought by English planters to work on plantations, and their lives remained particularly difficult. In Native Huts, Nassau, Homer illustrated the thatched house of a black family. This style of building had been transplanted from Africa and was, according to a contemporary account, “the most sensible housecovering for this climate.” The house was elevated to avoid being flooded during storms. Wooden shutters protected it from strong winds and heavy rain. The shutters could be closed to keep out warm air during the hottest part of the day and opened in the cooler mornings and nights.

Native Huts, Nassau is painted in watercolor on paper. Light washes of color allow the texture of the paper to show through. In some places the paper is not painted at all, so that its whiteness—not paint—creates the highlights of brilliant tropical sunlight.

Discussion Questions:

• If students did not complete the Check Out This Place! activity, they should refer to the world map to help answer the following questions: Where are the Bahamas located? What kinds of landforms are they? What kind of climate do the Bahamas have? (Two clues are the proximity of the islands to the equator and the palm tree seen in the painting.)
• What factors of their geography and climate make the Bahamas a popular vacation spot? In 1885, when Homer traveled to the Bahamas, what transportation would he have used to get to the port city of Nassau? (Boat) What about today? What about Nassau’s geography makes it welcoming to boats? (Inlets that are deep and sheltered from wind and rough seas.)
• People often use natural resources that are plentiful and nearby for building materials. Many tropical locations have palm trees. How have palm trees been used in the building of this house? (Leaves for thatched roof.) Why are wooden shutters appropriate for houses in a tropical area? (To protect from strong winds, heat, and rain; to help control interior temperature.)
• Some residents of the house are visible just inside the door. What are some of the daily activities you think they might do, based on the climate, natural resources, and geography of the island?
• In Native Huts, Winslow Homer occasionally allowed the white of the paper to show through the watercolor. Where can you see this? (The sky, the sand.) Why do you think he chose these areas? (They are where the reflections are brightest.)
• Do you see any pollution in this scene? What kind of pollution could affect an environment like this? What are ways you could protect beaches and waterways if you lived in the Bahamas?