Vignette with two sheep, Vignette with two cows in a pool, and Vignette of a wood-gatherer, in: The New York Drawing Book, Containing a Series of Original Designs and Sketches of American Scenery, No. 2

Art Historical Context

This 1847 lithograph appears in *The New York Drawing Book*, a publication designed to instruct amateur artists through original sketches of American scenery Created by Frances Flora Bond Palmer (often credited alongside collaborators Francis & Seymour Palmer and publisher W. H. Graham), the sheet features three charming vignettes: two sheep at rest, cows cooling in a pool, and a wood-gatherer at work. These gentle rural scenes reflect the mid-nineteenth-century fascination with distinctly American landscapes and everyday labor, offering viewers a window into the nation’s pastoral identity. Printed as a lithograph—a technique prized for its ability to reproduce fine detail at relatively low cost—the work exemplifies how printmaking helped democratize art education during this period. Palmer, one of the era’s pioneering professional women artists, brought a delicate yet lively touch to such illustrations, which were meant to be copied by students learning to draw. Today in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, the sheet stands as both an instructional tool and a snapshot of 1840s American visual culture, celebrating ordinary moments of work and nature.

About the Artist

Francis & Seymour Palmer|Frances Flora Bond Palmer|W. H. Graham (American, born England|American) · 1812 |1844 –1876 |1851

American (born England), Leicester 1812–1876 New York|American, active New York, 1844–51