Auf einem Stuhl sitzender Mann mit einer Pfeife in der rechten Hand, im Profil nach rechts c. 1765 - 1769

Georg Melchior Kraus created this sketch of a man with graphite and opaque watercolor on paper. Kraus, who was born in 1737, served as the Director of the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School. The subject of this study sits relaxed and slightly slouched, casually holding a smoking pipe. The attire is simple, but appropriate for the period. Everyday scenes like this are often overlooked, yet they offer a glimpse into the culture of the time. Kraus’s sketch is more than just a portrait; it's a depiction of a specific class and gender. During this period, social status dictated one’s access to leisure and comfort. What does it mean to have the time and resources to sit and smoke a pipe? This work creates an alternative narrative to the more formal portraiture of the era. It leaves us to reflect on the quiet moments of a life in the 1700s.