Sketch for Central Figure in the Ascension

This preparatory drawing by Francis Augustus Lathrop studies a robed figure with outstretched arms and wings, rendered in loose pen strokes over lighter graphite work. The composition centers on a female form in flowing drapery, with smaller winged figures sketched above. Lathrop's exploratory line work reveals the artist's process—multiple attempts at pose and gesture layered across the page. The subject draws from Christian iconography, depicting an ascension scene with spiritual or allegorical significance. As a designer, muralist, and illustrator working in the late nineteenth century, Lathrop contributed to the decorative arts movement while exploring figure composition and drapery—technical foundations essential to illustrative work of the period.