William Newenham Montague K.B.E., R.A., R.I. Orpen is an artist. 1 work is cataloged here, principally at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Irish-born Orpen made quiet, precise drawings that feel like first thoughts rather than finished pieces. In Untitled (Drawing) you see a pencil line that catches a sleeve catching light, or a hat brim just off-center. His work fits in the early-1900s studio world where artists traded sketches as currency, not as finished art.

Tap Untitled (Drawing) to step inside that pencil’s stroke and watch how a single line can hold the weight of a pose.