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What sea rescue device inspired Winslow Homer’s The Life Line?
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Winslow Homer
Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), oil on canvas by Winslow Homer, 1873–76; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 61.5 × 97 cm.
Winslow Homer’s 1884 painting The Life Line was inspired by his observation of a breeches buoy demonstration in Atlantic City during the summer of 1883.1
A breeches buoy is a rescue device consisting of a canvas seat shaped like breeches, which is suspended from a life buoy and travels along a hawser (a heavy rope or cable). It was used to haul individuals from a ship to the shore or between two vessels during rescue operations. Homer’s painting depicts the dramatic use of this device to transfer an unconscious woman from a wrecked ship to safety.231