The Drinker
Medium
graphite and black chalk with gray wash on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 28.1 × 20.5 cm (11 1/16 × 8 1/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
John Davis Hatch Collection
Accession Number
1979.20.67
Art Historical Context
**The Drinker** (1820s) by Charles Wesley captures a moment of everyday life in early 19th-century America through a delicate drawing in graphite, black chalk, and gray wash on laid paper. Measuring just 28.1 × 20.5 cm, this intimate study exemplifies Jarvis's skill as a Philadelphia-based artist and engraver, who trained under portraitist John Neagle and contributed to the burgeoning American genre tradition. Influenced by European masters like of the Dutch Golden Age, Jarvis depicted ordinary figures—here, a solitary drinker—highlighting social themes with a touch of realism and humanity. T...