Woman Seated on a Barrel (from Sketchbook)
ca. 1838 and after
Medium
Graphite on off-white wove paper
Dimensions
6 5/8 x 8 in. (16.8 x 20.3 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Sheila and Richard J. Schwartz Fund, 1987
Accession Number
1987.196.3gg
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the tranquil world of 19th-century American genre art, Francis William Edmonds captures everyday life with a keen eye for detail in *Woman Seated on a Barrelfrom Sketchbook)*, around 1838 and later. Edmonds, a New York banker and self-taught artist, drew inspiration from 17th-century Dutch masters, blending meticulous observation with subtle humor in scenes of ordinary folk. This graphite sketch on off-white wove paper—measuring a modest 6⅝ × 8 inches—likely served as a preparatory study from his personal sketchbook, highlighting his skill in rendering human form and texture spontaneously. ...
About the Artist
Francis William Edmonds · 1806–1863
Francis William Edmonds, born on November 22, 1806, in Hudson, New York, into a prominent Quaker family as the seventh child of storekeeper and public servant Samuel Edmonds and Lydia Worth Edmonds, displayed remarkable artistic talent from youth. After Quaker schooling and farm work, he entered banking in 1823 as a clerk at the Tradesmen's Bank in New York City under his uncle Gorham Worth, a pat...