A number of drawings this week, all of which I love a lot, but this is the exact sort of drawing I am perpetually seeking to find, making my heart beat very fast! C. 1870s-80s I believe, I'd guess Pennsylvania, very dark graphite on lightly lined paper with original vertical center crease and two embossed marks near top, to either side of center. A folk portrait of a very specific house, surely its maker's own or one nearby, but with the zealousness and intensity of the detailing here, and the scale of that bird in relation to this architecture, making it feel as much "visionary" as folk. (There's a real electricity to the patterning of those doors for example and I swear the whole drawing hums!) I will be very happy to hold on to this one for a little while or forever.
9 3/4" x 8". Good condition, that graphite is super strong and bold. A few archival cloth tape reinforcements recently added across the center crease from the back by the dealer I purchased it from. Scattered toning and light stains, all of a piece with it.
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