Illustration for Reinecke Fuchs: Tomcat Hinz being hit instead of Reinecke 1805 - 1874

This graphite drawing by Wilhelm von Kaulbach illustrates a scene from "Reinecke Fuchs," likely created sometime in the mid-19th century. Though seemingly simple, drawing is anything but. Note the artist’s skilled handling of line and tone here. He coaxes a whole world of expression from a humble piece of graphite – from the smooth, flowing gowns of the women, to the coarse fur of the animals, and the rough-hewn quality of the cudgels raised in anger. Kaulbach, an important figure in German art, was known for history paintings, murals, and book illustrations, which, like this one, were reproduced for mass consumption. Think about the labor involved in transferring images, like this one, from the artist’s hand to the printing press. In an era where art increasingly served the public sphere, drawings like these were instrumental in shaping popular imagination and cultural values. They remind us that even seemingly straightforward works on paper can speak volumes about their time.