The Fencing Lesson [recto]
c. 1847-1849
![The Fencing Lesson [recto] by Richard Caton Woodville](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/the-fencing-lesson-recto-nga-197716.webp)
Medium
graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 20 × 26.99 cm (7 7/8 × 10 5/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of the Estate of William Woodville, VIII)
Accession Number
2015.19.3018.a
Art Historical Context
Richard Caton Woodville, prominent 19th-century American genre trained in Düsseldorf, captured everyday moments with meticulous detail and narrative flair. *The Fencing Lesson [recto]*, created around 1847-1849, is a graphite drawing on wove paper depicting what appears to be an intimate instructional scene—likely a gentleman honing his swordsmanship skills. Woodville's works often celebrated martial pursuits and leisure activities, reflecting the era's romanticized view of chivalry amid America's growing fascination with European-influenced sports and military culture during the mid-19th cent...