Drawings & Prints | The Met

Although George Sand’s work as an amateur watercolorist is increasingly appreciated, less is known about her practice of cutting paper to depict plant life. This example achieves a particularly naturalistic effect with the application of watercolor. Demonstrating extraordinary dexterity, Sand cut a sheet of paper painted with a subtle gradation of green into the delicate, spiky forms of a thistle crowned with small purple flowers.⁣ ⁣ Come see this work in person in "Human/Nature: Selections from the Department of Drawings and Prints," in The Met's Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Gallery (gallery 690) through September 24! Learn more about the exhibition with the link in our bio.⁣ ⁣ George Sand (French, 1804–1876). Common Thistle (Chardon Commun), 1848. Watercolor and collage. Mary Martin Fund, 2024 (2024.46)⁣ ⁣ #MetAnywhere #GeorgeSand #19thcentury #commonthistle #chardoncommun #cutpaper #plantlife #watercolor #recentacquisition #themet #metdrawingsandprints

Ride into National Bike Month with this 19th century poster by Charles Arthur Cox! Cox designed a number of playful posters for Bearings, a magazine devoted to the newly popular leisure activity of cycling. Posters like this were intended for display on shop walls and in their windows.⁣ ⁣ Come see this work in person in "The Art of the Literary Poster: Works from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection," on view in The Met's Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Gallery (gallery 690) through June 11! Learn more about the exhibition with the link in our bio.⁣ ⁣ Charles Arthur Cox (American, active 1890–99). Bearings, 1896. Lithograph. Leonard A. Lauder Collection of American Posters, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 1984 (1984.1202.34)⁣ ⁣ #MetAnywhere #CharlesArthurCox #poster #lithograph #NationalBikeMonth #tandembicycle #bicyclebuiltforsix #cycling #readingandriding #metdrawingsandprints #themet

"One could do worse than be a swinger of birches." 🌳 ⁣⁣ On April 7, 1955, the American poet Robert Frost read his beloved poem "Birches" live at The Met—part of a series of readings at the Museum that included W. H. Auden, T. S. Eliot, and E. E. Cummings. ⁣ ⁣⁣ In celebration of National Poetry Month, have a listen to an excerpt of Frost's reading of the poem—accompanied by some of our favorite nature-inspired works in The Met collection. ⁣ 🌳 Watch the full optical poem at the link in bio. #NationalPoetryMonth 🎨 Lucas Achtschellinck (Flemish, Brussels 1626–1699 Brussels). Landscape with Three Trees in the Foreground, 1641–99. Graphite, with brush and gray and black wash, with body color. 🎨 Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine). Swinging on a Birch-Tree, 1867. Illustrations: steel engraving, wood engraving, color wood engraving. 🎨 Rudolph Ruzicka (American, born Czechoslovakia, 1883–1978). Palisades, 1917. Color wood engraving; printed in three colors. 🎨 Eugène Cicéri (French, 1813–1890). Winter Scene with Two Men, 1830–90. Watercolor over graphite, heightened with white. Framing lines in graphite 🎨 Tiffany Studios (1902–32), attributed to Agnes F. Northrop (American, 1857–1953). Autumn Landscape, 1923–24. Leaded Favrile glass.

This hand-colored woodcut comes from the most sumptuous of all Renaissance instructive manuals. Astronomicum Caesareum explained the use of the astrolabe (for calculating the altitude of stars) and other instruments used for computing planetary positions. Only about forty copies of this work survive; very few still have the seed pearls that were originally attached to the string markers on each of the eighteen disks. ⁣ ⁣ Michael Ostendorfer (German, ca. 1490–1549). Written by Petrus Apianus (German, active 1526–40). Astronomicum Caesareum, May 1540. Hand-colored woodcuts. Gift of Herbert N. Straus, 1925 (25.17)⁣ ⁣ #MichaelOstendorfer #astrolabe #dragon #moon #eclipse #AstronomicumCaesareum #16thcentury #handcolored #woodcut #howtobooks #instructionmanuals #spottedinthestudyroom #metonpaper100 #metdrawingsandprints #metmuseum

Edward Penfield's cartoon for the poster advertising the April 1894 issue of Harper’s provides a glimpse into poster production in the 1890s, when publishing firms spearheaded technical and stylistic innovations in the field of graphic design. His cartoon, which the printers used as a prototype in their process of translating his design into a printed sheet, is composed in ink and wash with hand-cut paper applied to the head, hat, and umbrella as a means of making corrections. The only element of the composition that was not done by hand is the photomechanically printed cutout of the magazine cover, which was likely excised from a printed Harper’s ad. ⁣ ⁣ Compare these works in person in the exhibition, "The Art of the Literary Poster: Works from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection," on view in The Met's Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Gallery (gallery 690) through June 11! Learn more about the exhibition with the link in our bio.⁣ ⁣ Edward Penfield (American, 1866–1925). Study for Harper's, April, 1894. Ink, watercolor, and gouache with cut and pasted painted papers. Leonard A. Lauder Collection of American Posters, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 2023 (2023.421) ⁣ ⁣ Edward Penfield (American, 1866–1925). Harper's, April, 1894. Lithograph. Purchase, Leonard A. Lauder Gift, 1990 (1990.1105.1)⁣ ⁣ #MetAnywhere #EdwardPenfield #19thcentury #aprilshowers #rain #umbrella #cartoon #collage #poster #lithograph #recentacquisition #metonpaper100 #metonpaper #metdrawingsandprints

“Occasionally, in times of worry, I’ve longed to be stylish, but on second thought I say no—just let me be myself—and express rough, yet true things with rough workmanship.”⁣⁣ — Vincent van Gogh, 1882⁣ ⁣⁣ If you find you’re doubting your talents, take a cue from Van Gogh and remember you don’t need to anything but yourself. ❤️ Happy birthday to the beloved Dutch artist, born March 30, 1853.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ See (most of) these works on view at The Met. What’s your favorite artwork by #VanGogh ?⁣ ⁣ All works by Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890).⁣ ⁣ 🎨 La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle; Augustine-Alix Pellicot Roulin, 1851–1930), 1889. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 822.⁣ ⁣ 🎨 Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, 1890. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 822.⁣ ⁣ 🎨 Cypresses, 1889. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 825.⁣ ⁣ 🎨 The Flowering Orchard, 1888. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 825.⁣ ⁣ 🎨 L’Arlésienne: Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux (Marie Julien, 1848–1911), 1888–89. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 825.⁣ ⁣ ✍️ Corridor in the Asylum, September 1889. Oil color and essence over black chalk on pink laid (“Ingres”) paper. Not on view. @metdrawingsandprints ⁣ ⁣ 🎨 Roses, 1890. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 822.⁣ ⁣ 🎨 The Potato Peeler (reverse: Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat), 1885. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 825.⁣ ⁣ 🎨 Madame Roulin and Her Baby, 1888. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 955.⁣ ⁣ 🎨 Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler), 1887. Oil on canvas. On view in Gallery 825.⁣

This sleek tea service sits in the 20th century illustration by Coles Phillips! Phillips embodies innovative American periodical and advertising design between 1911 and 1927, a period considered a Golden Age of illustration. In 1907 he became a staff artist at Life Magazine, and the following year created his first "fadeaway girl" design in which the color of the figure's clothing and background are the same. This punningly titled image of a maid peeking through a keyhole is a fine example, with the figure's uniform disappearing into the surrounding ground. Not only is the viewer encouraged to imaginatively fill-in the form, but the magazine reduced costs by using only a few colors of printing ink. Such images, designed for Life and Good Housekeeping to advertise products sold by Overland automobiles and Luxite hosiery, often centered on a type of young, alluring female that became known as the "Phillips Girl."⁣ ⁣ Coles Phillips (American, 1880–1927). In a Position to Know, Cover Design for "Life Magazine," April 7, 1921. Gouache. Gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 2020 (2021.16.24)⁣ ⁣ #MetAnywhere #ColesPhillips #teatime #coffeetime #carafe #creamer #cup #20thcentury #gouache #drawing #metonpaper100 #metonpaper #metdrawingsandprints

Roses are red,⁣ violets are blue,⁣ did you know early Valentines⁣ were satirical and vulgar, too? 🖤⁣ ⁣ In the mid-19th century, as the market for sentimental Valentine’s Day cards expanded, another variety of valentine grew popular. ⁣ ⁣ “For the nonromantics,” Met volunteer and president of the National Valentine Collectors Association Nancy Rosin writes, “it was an equally major holiday to mock and humiliate. Manufacturers were emboldened to create the most alarming original designs, providing personal character assassination, hurtful body shaming, and a great deal of double entendre or overt vulgarity.”⁣ ⁣ Tap the link in bio to read more from Rosin as she explores the long history of the comical Victorian missive, the “penny dreadful”—the “vinegar valentine.”⁣ ⁣ 💌 Anonymous artist (British, 19th century). Comic Valentine original illustration: The Flirt, ca. 1860. Black ink, hand colored with realistic watercolor. ⁣ ⁣ 💌 Anonymous artist (British, 19th century). Comic Valentine (Despising Valentine), 1820. Hand colored engraving.⁣ ⁣ 💌 Anonymous artist (British, 19th century). Dean and Co. (London), publisher. Comic Valentine (Old Maid), ca. 1860. Hand colored lithograph, watercolor. 💌 Anonymous artist (British, 19th century). Comic Valentine (shy woman), ca. 1860. Hand colored lithograph. 💌 Charles J. Howard (American, active 19th century). McLoughlin Brothers (American, active 1859–1920), publisher. Comic Valentine (slow suicide, anti-smoking), ca. 1880. Hand-colored wood engraving. 💌 Anonymous artist (British, 19th century). Comic Valentine (Crinoline), ca. 1840. Hand colored wood engraving. #ValentinesDay #Valentines #ephemera

This sleek tea service sits in which 20th century drawing?⁣ ⁣ #MetAnywhere #teatime #coffeetime #carafe #creamer #cup #20thcentury #gouache #drawing #metonpaper100 #metonpaper #metdrawingsandprints #metmuseum

Severn’s sunset watercolor focuses on a mountain known as the Old Man, located near Coniston Water in the Lake District. The work was painted at Brantwood, the home of the critic and collector John Ruskin, where the artist spent part of each year after 1871, when he married Joan Agnew, Ruskin’s niece and ward. Freely handled washes imitate effects in oil, with forms rendered broadly and tone given more emphasis than fine detail. Severn’s association with the Aesthetic movement encouraged effects such as the band of mist rising against a dark cliff and the visual rhyming of mountainside and watery reflections below. They also point to an admiration for J. M. W. Turner’s late watercolors, several of which Ruskin owned.⁣ ⁣ Come see this in person in The Met's exhibition, "British Vision, 1700–1900: Selections from the Department of Drawings and Prints," on view in the Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Gallery (gallery 690) through March 5, 2024! Learn more with the link in our bio.⁣ ⁣ Arthur Severn (British, 1842–1931). The Old Man of Coniston from the gardens at Brantwood, 1890–1901. Watercolor and gouache. Purchase, Ian Woodner Family Collection Fund, 2022 (2022.380a, b)⁣ ⁣ #MetAnywhere #ArthurSevern #sunset #mistymountain #oldmanofconiston #conistonwater #watercolor #gouache #metonpaper100 #metonpaper #metdrawingsandprints #metmuseum

This nighttime scene, a rare drawing by Vilhelm Hammershøi, was probably made in Hammershøi’s family apartment on Frederiksberg Allé in Copenhagen. A lone woman, undoubtedly a relative, appears to be reading at a round, lamplit table highlighted in red. The artist created at least two similar drawings of women at work at night; the larger and more finished of the two, dated 1891, was likely made as an independent work of art. The sketchy appearance of the present work suggests that it was drawn from life. Pinholes in the sheet’s four corners indicate where the artist attached it to a solid support while sketching.⁣ ⁣ Vilhelm Hammershøi (Danish, 1864–1916). Figure Reading at a Table in an Interior at Night, ca. 1891. Fabricated black and red chalk. Van Day Truex Fund, 2012 (2012.377)⁣ ⁣ #MetAnywhere #VilhelmHammershøi #readng #lamp #interior #19thcentury #chalk #drawing #metonpaper100 #metonpaper #metdrawingsandprints #metmuseum

This fashion satire proposes a practical application for the huge broad-brimmed hats fashionable in London in the late 1820s, showing a woman wearing a green dress using her hat to protect two dandies from the rain. Both have exaggerated hair and whiskers, and carry furled umbrellas but note that they find the present arrangement much more to their liking. Like many of Heath's prints from this period, it is signed in the lower left corner with a small top-hatted dandy holding an umbrella–Paul Pry, a nosy character from a play.⁣ ⁣ William Heath ('Paul Pry') (British, 1794/95–1840). A Snug Birth in a Shower, 1828. Hand-colored etching. Gift of Jill Spalding, 2022 (2022.309.25)⁣ ⁣ #MetAnywhere #WilliamHeath #caricature #broadbrimmedhat #umbrella #rain #19thcentury #handcolored #etching #recentacquisition #metonpaper100 #metonpaper #metdrawingsandprints #metmuseum