"Tis but Fancy's Sketch"

1850s

Robert Walter Weir

Associated Names
Robert Walter Weir

Artist, American, 1803 - 1889

The image shows two individuals sitting together on a bench or chair with a decorative finial. Both individuals are shown sitting from the waist up. They have curly hair neatly styled, wearing long-sleeved dresses with intricate detailing. The person on the left leans forward and holds an object, while the other holds a large book or sketchbook open on a stand. The scene is monochromatic and depicted in pencil, with a blank background focusing on the figures and their interaction with the drawing.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    graphite on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    John Davis Hatch Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 26.9 × 20.9 cm (10 9/16 × 8 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1979.20.126


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

John Davis Hatch [1907-1996], by 1976; gift 1979 to the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1976

  • Hatch, John Davis. 100 American Drawings: Loan Exhibition from the Collection of John Davis Hatch. London: Heim Gallery, 1976, no. 54.

Inscriptions

lower left in pen and brown ink: "Tis but Fancy's sketch"; lower right in pen and brown ink: by Robt Weir

Watermarks

J WHATMAN / 1822

Wikidata ID

Q64629281

You may be interested in

Loading Results