Design for the Letter T of a Pictoral Alphabet: Turk
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Bequest of Erskine Hewitt
Accession Number
1938-57-794
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Victor Vincent Adam’s “Design for the Letter T of a Pictoral Alphabet: Turk,” created around 1830, offers a charming glimpse into early-nineteenth-century educational and decorative art. A French draftsman active during the Romantic era, Adam produced numerous drawings and lithographs that blended instruction with visual delight. Here he imagines the letter “T” personified by a Turkish figure, suggesting the widespread European interest in exotic costumes and distant cultures that often appeared in children’s alphabets and ornamental prints of the period. Executed simply as a drawing, the wor...