Study of a Woman's Head for 'Grape Gatherers'

Daniel Huntington's preparatory drawing demonstrates the academic study methods of nineteenth-century American painters. Working from life, Huntington rendered this profile portrait in graphite and charcoal on paper, capturing the careful attention to facial anatomy and expression required for his larger historical composition. The notation at lower right references the finished painting, indicating this sheet's role in the artist's working process—a common practice among studio artists who built complex compositions through accumulated studies of individual figures, drapery, and poses.