Nine Figures in Military Dress (from Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

This sketchbook page was made by Thomas Sully sometime in the 19th century, with pen and ink on paper. It’s a quick study, but it tells us a lot about the artist’s interests and habits. Sully has used a supple line to capture the textures of metal, fabric, and flesh. The paper itself is humble; this isn’t a finished drawing but a place for experiment, for the artist to work through his ideas. Notice how the figures are not labored over, but quickly, freely drawn with the pen, with a range of marks that create depth and volume. It is a record of labor, but not of the battlefield. Sully was interested in the costumes of war, and the process of translating those into dynamic sketches on paper. He wasn't making propaganda, but exploring the aesthetics of conflict. This kind of approach is typical of Sully, who moved easily between the worlds of high art and popular illustration. It reminds us that all art, even the most seemingly elevated, is rooted in everyday making and the realities of human labor.