Study of a Wing

This anatomical sketch by Francis Augustus Lathrop demonstrates the artist's close observation of natural forms. The drawing employs parallel hatching and cross-hatching to model volume and texture, a technique fundamental to newspaper illustration of the 1890s. Lathrop's careful study of avian structure—annotated with labels identifying anatomical features—reflects the scientific precision that characterized turn-of-the-century commercial art. Such detailed preparatory work formed the basis for the character design and visual storytelling that would emerge in the comic strips of the early twentieth century, where artists built visual narratives through sequential panels and recurring figures.