Realist Paintings for a Home Office

Here are 44 Realist paintings for a home office, painted between 1835 and 1916, with works by Eastman Johnson, Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer; the subjects they return to most are cityscapes, and interiors. Architecture, bridges, harbors, library and study interiors, and calm geometric or early abstract compositions give the wall order; muted palettes keep the room focused.

All 691 paintings for a home office

Every Realist painting, for any room

The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull), Thomas Eakins 24 × 36 in landscape print (61 × 91 cm), centered 51¼ in from the floor, 8 in above the desk. Drawn to scale on a 12 × 8 ft wall.

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44 Realist paintings

The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull), Thomas Eakins, 1871, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull), 1871 The Met

Opulently dressed light-skinned man and woman drink at a small table. A mirror behind them reflects a crowd. Her blue dress and dark hat dominate.

William Glackens At Mouquin's, 1905 Art Institute of Chicago

Peasants Bringing Home a Calf Born in the Fields, Jean-François Millet, 1864, oil on canvas

Jean-François Millet Peasants Bringing Home a Calf Born in the Fields, 1864 Art Institute of Chicago

An Alpine Scene, Gustave Courbet, 1874, oil on canvas

Gustave Courbet An Alpine Scene, 1874 Art Institute of Chicago

The Writing Master, Thomas Eakins, 1882, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins The Writing Master, 1882 The Met

View of Ornans, Gustave Courbet, probably mid-1850s, oil on canvas

Gustave Courbet View of Ornans, probably mid-1850s The Met

Sparrow Hall, Winslow Homer, c. 1881-1882, oil on canvas

Winslow Homer Sparrow Hall, c. 1881-1882 National Gallery of Art

We look slightly down onto and across a wide, boat-filled river under a cloudy sky at the far bank, which is lined with buildings, in this loosely painted, horizontal landscape.

James McNeill Whistler Battersea Reach, c. 1863 National Gallery of Art

Bayside, New Rochelle, New York, Eastman Johnson, 1886, oil on canvas

Eastman Johnson Bayside, New Rochelle, New York, 1886 The Met

On the Unadilla, New York, Eastman Johnson, 1884, oil on canvas

Eastman Johnson On the Unadilla, New York, 1884 The Met

From under an elevated train track, we look at a cluster of people hammering and working on the far side of a wooden fence, all against a silvery-blue building that fills most of the background in this horizontal painting.

George Bellows Blue Morning, 1909 National Gallery of Art

A six-story, narrow building stands alone in an otherwise unoccupied lot under the deck of a high bridge, with a river and cityscape in the background in this horizontal painting.

George Bellows The Lone Tenement, 1909 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a young boy sitting on a wooden rocking chair next to a dark metal stove. He is leaning forward with one arm extended towards the stove door, which is partially open, revealing bright orange light.

Eastman Johnson The Early Scholar, c. 1865 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a busy scene at the edge of the water. The horizon is visible on the left, where blue-gray sky meets blue-gray water behind a line of tall masts.

Robert Henri Volendam Street Scene, 1910 National Gallery of Art

We look slightly down onto a crush of pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, wagons, and streetcars enclosed by a row of densely spaced buildings and skyscrapers opposite us in this horizontal painting.

George Bellows New York, 1911 National Gallery of Art

A nearly square landscape with a bridge to our right and a person walking at the lower center is painted loosely in tones of pine, spruce, and sage green with a few touches of yellow, black, and brown.

Ernest Lawson High Bridge at Night, New York City, c. 1910/1920 National Gallery of Art

Dark portrait of older woman in black dress with lace collar, flowers.

Gustave Courbet Mère Grégoire, 1855, reworked 1857–59 Art Institute of Chicago

Summertime, Winslow Homer, 1880, watercolor on paper

Winslow Homer Summertime, 1880 Smithsonian American Art Museum

Boys in a Dory, Winslow Homer, 1880, watercolor and graphite on paper

Winslow Homer Boys in a Dory, 1880 Smithsonian American Art Museum

Honoré Daumier In Church, 1855/1857 National Gallery of Art

The Reading, Honoré Daumier, c. 1857, oil on panel

Honoré Daumier The Reading, c. 1857 Rijksmuseum

Study for "The Dancing Lesson": The Boy, Thomas Eakins, probably 1877, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins Study for "The Dancing Lesson": The Boy, probably 1877 National Gallery of Art

A snowy street with a horse and carriage is flanked to each side by tall buildings in this vertical painting. The overcast scene is loosely painted with visible brushstrokes throughout, so some details are difficult to make out.

Robert Henri Snow in New York, 1902 National Gallery of Art

Beggar with Oysters (Philosopher), Édouard Manet, 1865–67, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet Beggar with Oysters (Philosopher), 1865–67 Art Institute of Chicago

The Sheepshearers, Jean-François Millet, c. 1857–61, oil on canvas

Jean-François Millet The Sheepshearers, c. 1857–61 Art Institute of Chicago

Thomas Eakins Study for "The Dancing Lesson": The Banjo Player, probably 1877 National Gallery of Art

Beggar with a Duffle Coat (Philosopher), Édouard Manet, 1865–67, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet Beggar with a Duffle Coat (Philosopher), 1865–67 Art Institute of Chicago

In a beige room, a group of light-skinned men of various ages and a young boy clap as a figure in tattered clothing at center, his back to the viewer, dances and holds a tin cup in the air.

William Sidney Mount Bar-room Scene, 1835 Art Institute of Chicago

Panoramic View of the Alps, Les Dents du Midi, Gustave Courbet, 1877, oil on fabric

Gustave Courbet Panoramic View of the Alps, Les Dents du Midi, 1877 Cleveland Museum of Art

Searchlight on Harbor Entrance, Santiago de Cuba, Winslow Homer, 1902, oil on canvas

Winslow Homer Searchlight on Harbor Entrance, Santiago de Cuba, 1902 The Met

Young Woman, Jean-François Millet, 1844–45, oil on canvas

Jean-François Millet Young Woman, 1844–45 Art Institute of Chicago

The New Bonnet, Eastman Johnson, 1876, oil on academy board

Eastman Johnson The New Bonnet, 1876 The Met

This painting shows a young girl sitting in a wooden chair, facing the right. She has pale skin, rosy cheeks, a slightly upturned nose, and long, brown hair put up behind her head. She is wearing a pale green dress and black shoes.

Eastman Johnson The Pets, 1856 National Gallery of Art

We look across a shaded field of snow, through a screen of loosely spaced trees at a cobalt-blue mountain that dominates this square landscape painting. The scene is painted with visible brushstrokes throughout.

Abbott Handerson Thayer Mount Monadnock, probably 1911/1914 National Gallery of Art

Three light-skinned men, one with his head and knee bandaged, sit and stand around a rusty, free-standing stove in a room with wide plank floors in this horizontal painting.

William Sidney Mount The Tough Story - Scene in a Country Tavern, 1837 National Gallery of Art

Boys in a Dory, Winslow Homer, 1873, watercolor washes and gouache over graphite underdrawing on medium rough textured white wove paper

Winslow Homer Boys in a Dory, 1873 The Met

The Chess Players, Thomas Eakins, 1876, oil on wood

Thomas Eakins The Chess Players, 1876 The Met

The Lord Is My Shepherd, Eastman Johnson, 1863, oil on fiberboard

Eastman Johnson The Lord Is My Shepherd, 1863 Smithsonian American Art Museum

This painting shows a waterfront with boats and buildings in the distance. The shadowy horizon line divides the composition between the gray sky and gray water. The distant shore features faint outlines of buildings.

James McNeill Whistler Grey and Silver: Chelsea Wharf, c. 1864/1868 National Gallery of Art

A woman with dark hair pulled up in a bun, wearing a long, muted lilac-purple silk dress, stands singing in front of woman playing a piano and a man playing a cello in a dimly lit room in this vertical painting.

Thomas Eakins Singing a Pathetic Song, 1881 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a woman standing in front of a wooden dresser with a mirror, her back to us. We can see her face reflected in the mirror. She is gazing at her reflection with both of her hands lifted towards her slightly tilted face.

Eastman Johnson The Toilet, 1873 National Gallery of Art

Joseph Rodefer DeCamp The Seamstress, 1916 National Gallery of Art

Winding Yarn (Interior of a Nantucket Kitchen), Eastman Johnson, 1872, oil on board

Eastman Johnson Winding Yarn (Interior of a Nantucket Kitchen), 1872 Cleveland Museum of Art

The Studio, Winslow Homer, 1867, oil on canvas

Realist Paintings for a Home Office

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