(From Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

This sketchbook page was created by Thomas Sully, likely in the first half of the 19th century, using graphite and wash on paper. It offers a glimpse into the world of art-making in early America. Sully was a sought-after portrait painter, and these sketches, with their mixture of intimate scenes and figure studies, reveal the social structures that supported the arts. Portraiture was key to elite identity, but it was also central to solidifying democratic ideals. The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, founded in 1805, provided a space for training artists, and exhibiting their work. Sully himself served as a director of the Academy, so this page is also a window into the institutional history of American art. Art historical interpretation relies on a combination of close looking and archival research. By studying the artist's life, his patrons, and the institutions that shaped his career, we gain a richer understanding of art as something embedded in social context.