Old Tree

Thomas Hearne

1803

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Landscape broad-leaved tree

About this work

This print shows an old tree with gnarled roots and twisted branches. Its rough bark catches the light, making shadows that feel almost real. The artist used a sharp pen and dark ink to carve lines that look like wood. This style isn’t as common as paintings, but it’s just as detailed. Lithography prints an image from a flat stone, not a raised plate. Hearne made this in 1803, early for the technique. Try lithography next by looking up Hearne, Thomas.