Mother's Banner of Love and Comfort
1845
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1845
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This image looks like a mix of handwritten text and geometric shapes. There’s a large grid in the center, surrounded by diamond shapes filled with tiny words and arrows pointing outward. Some sections have small red marks, like hearts or dots, and a few ovals with more writing. The whole thing is drawn with blue and red ink on what looks like old paper. The words seem to be part of a poem or story, arranged in a way that guides your eyes around the page. The artist used a lot of cross-hatching—tiny parallel lines—to create shading and texture, especially in the shapes and borders. Look up cross-hatching to see how this technique works in other art.
