Diary
19th century
Medium
Pen and ink
Classification
Albums|Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Richard H. Pratt, 1946
Accession Number
46.114.81
Tags
Art Historical Context
Alexander Jackson Davis (18031892), a pioneering architect of the Romantic era, created *Diary* in the 19th century using pen and ink—a medium ideal for his precise, expressive sketches. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of an album of drawings (gift of Richard H. Pratt,1946), this work intimate interiors featuring men, reflecting Davis's eye for architectural detail and everyday scenes. Davis, celebrated for his Gothic Revival and Picturesque designs in buildings like the United States Capitol extensions and Lyndhurst mansion, often used such s...
About the Artist
Alexander Jackson Davis · 1803–1892
Alexander Jackson Davis (1803–1892) was a pioneering American architect whose imaginative designs helped define the nation's picturesque country house tradition. Born in New York City on July 24, 1803, Davis received an informal education, studying drawing at the American Academy of the Fine Arts, the New-York Drawing Association, and the antique casts at the National Academy of Design. He apprent...