Design for a Book Illustration: a Soldier Approaching a Couple 1800 - 1900

This anonymous 19th-century drawing, “Design for a Book Illustration: a Soldier Approaching a Couple”, depicts a dramatic moment in a domestic setting. The composition is characterized by the dramatic pose of the central female figure, whose raised arm and expressive face heighten the tension between the characters. The artist uses a simple palette of browns and grays to create a sense of intimacy and realism in the scene. This illustration is likely a design for a book, perhaps a novel or a play, and its small scale suggests that it was intended for a personal collection. It is currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.