Seated Man with Hat; Male Head; verso: Head Studies; Ear; Sailboat c. 1845 - 1847

Curator: This is a sketchbook page by Sanford Robinson Gifford, titled "Seated Man with Hat; Male Head; verso: Head Studies; Ear; Sailboat." Editor: Intimate, certainly, and hurried—almost like a visual diary entry. It’s the kind of rawness I appreciate. Curator: Indeed. Think about the materiality. This isn't a finished painting; it is a glimpse into Gifford’s artistic process, his immediate engagement with subjects and scenes, perhaps during his travels, and how the means of production affect the final art. Editor: Absolutely. But these sketches are more than just process; they reveal the casual racism embedded within 19th century art practices, especially in relation to travel and the recording of marginalized peoples. We must consider the colonial gaze at play, even within the seeming innocence of a sketchbook. Curator: That's a powerful point. Thinking about the paper and the graphite marks left behind helps us to contextualize these works and consider their value. Editor: It invites us to re-think authorship, labor, and representation within art history. Curator: Precisely. A small glimpse, but it makes one think. Editor: Definitely.