Man Seated; Sketch of a Pig's Head (from Sketchbook)
ca. 1838 and after
Medium
Graphite on off-white white wove paper
Dimensions
6 5/8 x 8 in. (16.8 x 20.3 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Sheila and Richard J. Schwartz Fund, 1987
Accession Number
1987.196.3aa
Tags
About this artwork
This graphite on off-white white wove paper, created in ca. 1838 and after, represents significant artistic achievement by Francis William Edmonds, a American artist. The piece demonstrates the technical capabilities and aesthetic conventions of American art during this historical period. Working in graphite on off-white white wove paper, the artist employed materials and techniques characteristic of the era, creating visual effects that convey both subject matter and artistic vision. Museum col...
Art Historical Context
Francis William Edmonds (1806–1863), a New York banker and self-taught artist, filled his sketchbooks with quick, observant studies like this double-sided page from around 1838 or later. Rendered in graphite on off-white wove paper, it features a seated man on one sideperhaps a farmer or laborer in relaxed pose—and a finely detailed pig's head on the, capturing the animal's textured snout and bristly features with remarkable precision. These modest subjects highlight Edmonds's eye for everyday American life during the early years of the republic's artistic awakening. Graphite, a staple medium...
About the Artist
Francis William Edmonds · 1806–1863
Francis William Edmonds, born on November 22, 1806, in Hudson, New York, into a prominent Quaker family as the seventh child of storekeeper and public servant Samuel Edmonds and Lydia Worth Edmonds, displayed remarkable artistic talent from youth. After Quaker schooling and farm work, he entered banking in 1823 as a clerk at the Tradesmen's Bank in New York City under his uncle Gorham Worth, a pat...