Leaf Study, after John Ruskin
Date1883
Artist
Jane Byrd McCall Whitehead
(American potter, 1858–1955)
MediumGraphite and watercolor on paper mounted on blue paper
Dimensionssheet: 8 7/8 × 5 1/4 in. (22.5 × 13.3 cm)
Credit LineAcquisition Fund, 2008
Object number2008-83
On View
Not on viewCollections
ClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextJane Whitehead, the creator of this drawing, was with her husband Ralph a co-founder of the American Arts and Crafts Community, "Byrdcliffe," located in Woodstock, New York (1902-1929). She and her husband were very much influenced by the writings of John Ruskin and the Arts and Crafts aesthetic of William Morris.This drawing is a copy of a similar study by John Ruskin. Although there is no documented record of the two actually meeting, it has been suggested that Jane, like many artistically-minded ‘ladies’ of the age, Jane may have taken drawing lessons from Ruskin.