Abraham Francen, the Scholar (from Sketchbook) 1820

Thomas Sully made this watercolor sketch, titled *Abraham Francen, the Scholar*, as part of a sketchbook. Sully was one of the most important portrait painters of the 19th century, and he's best known for his idealized depictions of wealthy Americans. Here, we see two studies of a scholar in his domestic space. Intellectualism was romanticized in the 19th century, but access to education and scholarly pursuits was profoundly shaped by social class. Consider the role of wealth in enabling the lifestyle depicted here. The upper sketch presents a poised figure actively engaged with his work, while the lower sketch depicts a hunched figure weighed down by the burdens of study. The sketches invite us to consider not just the identity of the scholar, but also the socio-economic structures that shape that identity. Sully's sketch offers a window into the complex relationship between personal identity and social circumstance.