Drawing from Life, from "Illustrated London News"
In a humble Scottish interior, a boy just arrived home from school, has thrown off his coat and sketches a sleeping cat on his slate. The image suggests that his early passion may one day drive a mature artist and echoes incidents from the early lives of famous artists—Vasari for example recorded that the Florentine painter Cimabue discovered Giotto as a shepherd boy sketching his flock on a rock, then took him on as an apprentice. Published in the "Illustrated London News" in 1870, this wood engraving was designed by Henderson who lived and worked in Scotland, became president of the Glasgow Arts Club and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy and Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts. The engraver Hollidge first worked for London periodicals, then went to Paris in 1871 and engraved for "L'Univers Illustré."
Artwork Details
- Title: Drawing from Life, from "Illustrated London News"
- Series/Portfolio: Illustrated London News
- Engraver: William Hollidge (British, active 1869–95)
- Artist: After Joseph Henderson (British, Stanley, Perthshire, Scotland 1832–1908 Ballantrae, Ayrshire)
- Date: March 26, 1870
- Medium: Wood engraving
- Dimensions: Image: 8 3/4 × 13 1/4 in. (22.2 × 33.7 cm)
Sheet: 10 13/16 × 15 11/16 in. (27.4 × 39.8 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Donato Esposito, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.653.19
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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