Lithograph: Outward Bound / Homeward Bound
Nicol studied under several well known masters of the day back in Scotland. He then moved to Ireland, teaching in Dublin during the heart of the famine from 1845-1850. Widely recognised for his talents in depicting country scenes and the downtrodden, much of his work focused on famine era Ireland. Pulling from his own experiences there, he skillfully captured the destitution and heartache of the time.
"Outward-Bound (Dublin)" depicts a poor, famine-era soul, considering emigration to America, where the streets were said to be paved with gold. "Homeward-Bound (New York)" represents the same man's fantasy of what his triumphant return to Ireland might look like. Gone are the dirty, tattered and patched clothes of a peasant, replaced by the material trappings of success, draped upon a dapper man of means.
Sadly, for most who chose to emigrate, that triumphant return would remain a fantasy. But their choice to emigrate would still offer them and future generations significant opportunities.