Composition

Portrait of George Vanderbilt, The Hunterian

Portrait of George W. Vanderbilt, National Gallery of Art, DC

This is probably a study for (rather than a drawing of) Portrait of George W. Vanderbilt [YMSM 481]. The legs are further apart and the left leg not so far forward as in the oil.

Technique

The drawing is faint, the lines, disjointed, and the head has been partly rubbed out. However, the area below has been filled with careful diagonal shading.

Conservation History

The sketch is on cartridge paper, which has a neat diagonal grain, and has probably darkened. It may have been removed from a sketchbook.