Male [Breaking Fall]; Male Gesturing Toward Dog; Female on Step Leaning Against Column by Foliage (from Sketchbook)

Art Historical Context

This lively sketchbook page by Thomas Sully, a leading American portraitist of the early 19th, captures three dynamic vignettes from around 1810–20: a man dramatically breaking his fall, another gesturing toward a playful dog, and a woman leaning gracefully against a column lush foliage on steps. Sully, renowned for his elegant portraits of American elites and his time studying in London under influences like Sir Thomas Lawrence, often filled his sketchbooks with spontaneous studies to refine poses, expressions, and compositions for larger works. Executed in ink and wash on paper—a fluid medium ideal for quick, expressive notations—these sketches showcase Sully's mastery of line and tonal modeling. The diluted ink washes create soft shadows and depth on the modest 9 x 11½-inch sheet, highlighting his Romantic flair for movement and narrative energy. Such preparatory drawings were essential to his process, bridging raw observation with polished portraits. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, this Rogers Fund acquisition of 1953 offers a rare glimpse into Sully's creative workshop during a formative era of American art, when artists like him elevated national portraiture with European sophistication. Visitors will delight in the everyday drama and animal charm tucked into these intimate studies.

About the Artist

Thomas Sully · 1783–1872

Thomas Sully, born on June 19, 1783, in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to actor parents Matthew Sully and Sarah Chester, emigrated with his family to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1792. Raised in a theatrical environment, young Thomas debuted as a tumbler at age 11 before discovering his artistic talent. He studied miniature painting with his brother Lawrence Sully, brother-in-law Jean Belzon...