Charles Frederick Tomkins

This Philadelphia Quaker spent his days as a bookkeeper and nights sketching on scraps of paper, until his landlord kicked him out for ink stains on the floor. His tiny, meticulous drawings show 19th-century Philly like you’ve never seen it: a nail sticking out of a fence, a cat in a window, a man asleep on a park bench. If you’ve walked Rittenhouse Square at dusk, you’ve probably stood where Tomkins sat, pencil in hand, capturing what most people missed. Look up “Untitled (1798–1844)” to see the city breathe.