Sketch Made 45 Years Ago

Art Historical Context

Visitors to the Smithsonian American Art Museum are invited to discover *Sketch Made 45 Years*, a delicate drawing created by George Elbert Burr 1886. This work captures a serene landscape scene, featuring a simple fence, winding road, and solitary tree—elements that evoke the quiet charm of rural America during the late 19th century. As a drawing, it highlights Burr's skill in rendering everyday vistas with economical lines and subtle shading, a medium that allows for quick, expressive studies of nature. The title itself adds a layer of intrigue: inscribed "45 years ago," it suggests the sketch was revisited and named around 1931, perhaps evoking nostalgia for a bygone era. Part of the Smithsonian Collection, this piece reflects the personal stories behind public art, thanks to its credit from the bequest of Carolann Smurthwaite in memory of her mother, Caroline Atherton Connell Smurthwaite. Such works remind us how sketches like this preserve fleeting moments, bridging personal memory and broader American artistic heritage.

About the Artist

George Elbert Burr · 1859–1939

George Elbert Burr was an American printmaker and watercolorist whose career spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, earning him a reputation as one of the foremost etchers of the American West. Born in 1859 in Monroe Falls, Ohio, Burr trained as a commercial illustrator before turning his full attention to fine art. He honed his craft through diligent self-study and close obser...