Three Sketches of Cows; verso: Partial Scene of Road with Houses 1854

Curator: Here we have "Three Sketches of Cows" by Sanford Robinson Gifford, part of the collection at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a delicate pencil drawing. Editor: It feels almost like a memory, fading into the paper itself. The lines are so minimal. Is that a deliberate choice of Gifford's, or simply a preliminary study? Curator: It's likely a study, yes. Look how he captures the essence of the animals with just a few lines. The cow, an age-old symbol of pastoral life. Editor: I find it more than pastoral. Cows represent domestication, and therefore control. In the 19th century, that symbol would have been loaded with political undertones about land ownership. Curator: I can see that reading, certainly. The cow as a symbol of agricultural stability, even prosperity, for better or worse. Editor: Yes, these sketches capture that tension, that ongoing negotiation of power. Curator: A small sketch with a huge impact. Editor: A simple image, holding complex ideas.