Standing Man Holding Stick, Hand on Hip
Medium
Pen and black ink on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
18.1 × 12.9 cm (7 3/16 × 5 1/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
46936
Art Historical Context
Henry Stacy Marks (1829–1898), a British artist and Royal Academician, crafted this intimate pen and black ink drawing on ivory wove paper, as a preparatory study or standalone sketch. Titled *Standing Man Holding Stick, Hand on Hip*, the work captures a poised male figure in a relaxed yet confident stance—hand akimbo, stick in grasp—evoking everyday Victorian character types. Its modest dimensions (18.1 × 12.9 cm) suggest portability, ideal for an artist's quick observations during travels or studio practice. Rendered in precise black ink lines, the piece showcases Marks's mastery of pen tec...
About the Artist
Henry Stacy Marks · 1829–1898
Henry Stacy Marks (1829–1898) was born on 13 September 1829 in London, the fourth child of coachbuilder John Isaac Marks and Elizabeth Pally. Initially apprenticed in his father's trade and briefly working as a clerk, Marks displayed early artistic talent, learning to paint heraldry for carriages. He began formal training around 1847 at James Mathews Leigh's art school in Newman Street, where he b...