This double-sided drawing came from the small sketchbook of a Willis Hutchinson, dated 1883-84--almost all the pages were already loose, so I’m listing the drawings individually. These drawings are just my sort of thing, filled with people and houses and animals and ships and all sorts of other little things, from a croquet game to a pocket watch to a slingshot, plus many sorts of chairs and kites and a unicycle too! With pretty amazing attention detail throughout, sometimes requiring a magnifier to see it all. Plus pops of watercolor here and there amid what are often pretty densely packed pages!
Based on a couple of (super sweet!) hand-drawn maps, I believe our Willis likely lived on a farm in Port Jefferson in Suffolk County, NY, on the North Shore of Long Island. Wilis’ name and the year 1883 appears on one page of the sketchook, which the last photo below details.
6 7/8” x 4 1/2”, with drawings on both sides. Overall good antique condition with general wear, light creasing, and smudging to the graphite here and there.