Sketch of painting
date unknown
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Sally Adler with heartfelt gratitude to Emma Joy Linen Dana, George L. Linenâs great-granddaughter, and her four devoted sons, Richard, John, Andrew, and Gordon
Accession Number
AD/NPG.2018.1.24
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Sketch of a Painting** by George Linen (1802–1888) invites visitors into the intimate world of 19th-century American draftsmanship. This undated drawing, housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, captures Linen's skill in preliminary sketches—essential studies that bridge the gap between idea and finished canvas. As a modest yet revealing medium, drawing allowed artists like Linen to experiment with composition and detail, often serving as the blueprint for larger oil paintings. The tag "Mustache" hints at a portrait-like focus, evoking the facial hair fashions of the era t...