Standing Figure and Seated Figure Playing Cello (from Whistler Album)

Art Historical Context

This delicate graphite drawing, titled *Standing Figure and Seated Figure Playingello* from the Whistler Album, captures a moment of musical intimacy in mid-19th-century America Created around 1854–55 by an unknown artist, it features a standing figure observing a seated musician deeply engrossed in playing the cello. Rendered on paper with precise graphite lines (10 9/16 x 7 3/4 in.), the work exemplifies the era's sketching techniques, where artists used pencil to explore poses, proportions, and everyday scenes with fluid, economical strokes. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Ameri...