Sketch of Trumpeting Angel

Francis Augustus Lathrop's preparatory sketch demonstrates the careful draftsmanship underlying late-nineteenth-century decorative design. The figure study—a winged angel in profile, trumpet raised—shows multiple hand studies below, revealing an artist's working method. Lathrop, an influential American designer and illustrator, worked across fine and applied arts. This sheet exemplifies the transition from academic drawing practice to the reproductive media that would dominate visual culture: the sketch's precision suited both fine-art printmaking and commercial illustration, the twin engines of American visual production in this period.