Sketch Plate

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen

National Gallery of Art

The image is a sketch featuring multiple human figures and heads in various positions and orientations. In the upper section of the image, there is a head tilted downwards with long flowing hair. Below this figure, slightly to the left, there is the profile of another head with defined facial features and a head covering. Near the center of the drawing, a pair of figures is depicted standing with their upper bodies visible, both facing each other. One has voluminous hair and is turned slightly to the side, while the other is depicted from behind, draped in a dark garment. To the right, multiple profiles of heads with varying facial features are illustrated, overlapping and intertwining. The background is textured with crosshatching, shading the upper left corner of the image, providing contrast to the more delicate line work of the figures. The artist's signature appears in the lower right corner of the image.