Scribble (from Sketchbook) 1811 - 1893

This is an untouched page from a sketchbook by John William Casilear, a prominent American landscape painter associated with the Hudson River School. Casilear was working in the 19th century in a cultural environment increasingly concerned with the documentation and preservation of the American wilderness. The sketchbook itself acts as a kind of archive, a space for the artist to record fleeting impressions and ideas. It is a deeply personal record of artistic production, a space for experimentation outside the formal constraints of the academy. This unassuming page from Casilear’s book reminds us that the institutional history of art includes these more intimate and ephemeral elements. By exhibiting these sketches, museums play an active role in shaping our understanding of art. They are no longer just sites for display but sites of artistic creation, which allows for the creation of new meanings. Art history involves studying these institutional practices, including the economic and social conditions that enabled artists like Casilear to thrive.