1819
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Le Marchand de dessins lithographiques (The Lithograph Seller) is a 1819 ink by Nicolas Toussaint Charlet, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two men in a cramped shop. One stands at a cluttered table, pointing at a stack of framed pictures on the wall. The other sits in the corner, arms crossed, wearing a tall hat. The walls are covered in small drawings—some of animals, some of people—and the floor looks dusty. A few rolled-up papers and odd tools lean against the wall. The shopkeeper’s gesture suggests he’s explaining the prints, while the customer seems unimpressed. The small, crowded space feels full of energy, even though it’s just a sketch. If you like this, try looking up lithography to see how artists made prints like this.
Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet was a French painter and printmaker, more especially of military subjects.
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