Two Flag Studies (from Sketchbook) 1891

Albert Bierstadt made these "Two Flag Studies" with graphite on paper, and they're now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The drawing is a study of two flags, each occupying its own distinct space within the composition. On the left, we see a flag delineated with a series of vertical lines, possibly representing stripes. To the right, the second flag features a heraldic symbol that looks like a rampant lion beneath what appears to be a castle or fortress. These elements, though quickly sketched, show an attention to the symbolic language of heraldry and national identity. Lines bisect the flags, which suggests an engagement with perspective and spatial relationships, even in this preliminary form. The composition uses the flags as a formal device to explore themes of representation and power, underscoring the symbolic weight flags carry as emblems of nations. The artist challenges the fixity of meaning usually associated with flags, treating them instead as dynamic forms.