From the exhibition
Study of a Cow
· circa 1850

This meticulously rendered ink study exemplifies 19th-century naturalistic animal drawing. The artist employs precise crosshatching and linear marks to model form and texture, capturing the cow's musculature and anatomical structure from a side profile. The work reflects the period's scientific approach to animal illustration, wherein careful observation informed both artistic practice and emerging veterinary and agricultural sciences. Such studies served as foundational references for academic training and commercial illustration work throughout the century.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com CC0