Sketchbook Page: Old Gateway near Vevey/Freiburg/Schaffhausen

George Elbert Burr's travel sketchbook from Switzerland documents architectural vernacular with meticulous pen work. The page captures a traditional stone gateway with surrounding structures, complemented by detail studies of architectural elements and fixtures. Burr, an Ohio-born etcher and draftsman, traveled extensively throughout Europe in the 1890s, filling sketchbooks with observational drawings that later informed his printmaking. This working page demonstrates the deliberate study method of late-nineteenth-century artists, combining whole compositions with isolated technical details—a practice essential to mastering both the visual and mechanical aspects of his medium.