Artwork
Woman Seated at a Table, Holding a Letter
Woman Seated at a Table, Holding a Letter is a graphite drawing by the Romanticist artist Henry Edridge. It dates from 1795 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:in later hand, across bottom in graphite on mount: 565/4 / Edridge
About this work
Overview
Henry Edridge’s 1795 work, titled Woman Seated at a Table, Holding a Letter, is a small-scale drawing executed in watercolor applied over an initial graphite sketch. The composition presents a solitary female figure positioned at a table, her attention focused on a letter she holds in her hands.
Technique & Style
Edridge combines the precision of graphite drawing with the translucent washes of watercolor, allowing the underlying line work to remain visible beneath delicate pigment. This layered approach yields a soft modeling of the figure and interior space, characteristic of late‑18th‑century British draughtsmanship that balances draftsmanship with modest color.
History & Provenance
Created in 1795, the drawing reflects Edridge’s mature period, during which he produced numerous portrait studies and genre scenes. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work has been catalogued among his watercolors and is cited in several 19th‑century inventories of British art, confirming its attribution to the artist.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Henry Edridge (1768 in Paddington – 23 April 1821 in London) was the son of a tradesman and apprenticed at the age of fifteen to William Pether, a mezzotinter and landscapist, and became proficient as a painter of miniatures, portraits and…
