Study of a man
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Roger H. Plowden
Accession Number
1969-121-3
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
William Stanley Haseltine, prominent American artist born in 1835, created *Study of a Man* around 1850, when he was just a teenager honing his skills. Best known for his luminous landscapes inspired by the Hudson River School and later European travels, Haseltine occasionally explored figure studies like this one, offering a rare glimpse into his early training. Produced in the medium of figures—likely a preparatory drawing or sketch—this work captures the artist's budding interest in human form amid the burgeoning American art scene of the mid-19th century. Dating to the eve of the Civil Wa...