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The image is a pencil sketch on light-colored paper, showing two views of a man's head and shoulders. The main focus is on a profile view of the man's head and upper torso, facing to the right. The sketch captures his features with a mix of detailed and shaded lines, emphasizing the hair and facial features such as the nose and brow. His hair appears to be long and wavy, extending to the neck area. The man seems to wear a collared garment, visible through sketch lines around the neck. Beneath the profile, there is a smaller frontal sketch of the man, capturing a mild expression with less detail, focusing on the structure of eyes, nose, and lips. The background of the page features header text "IRIS COURT PANGBOURNE BERKSHIRE" on the top left and "TELEPHONE: 94 PANGBOURNE" on the top right, with a handwritten note and monogram near the sketches.
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The image is a pencil sketch on light-colored paper, showing two views of a man's head and shoulders. The main focus is on a profile view of the man's head and upper torso, facing to the right. The sketch captures his features with a mix of detailed and shaded lines, emphasizing the hair and facial features such as the nose and brow. His hair appears to be long and wavy, extending to the neck area. The man seems to wear a collared garment, visible through sketch lines around the neck. Beneath the profile, there is a smaller frontal sketch of the man, capturing a mild expression with less detail, focusing on the structure of eyes, nose, and lips. The background of the page features header text "IRIS COURT PANGBOURNE BERKSHIRE" on the top left and "TELEPHONE: 94 PANGBOURNE" on the top right, with a handwritten note and monogram near the sketches.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Letter from Iris Court with Sketches of Henry Irving

Mortimer Menpes

Medium
graphite on wove paper [Iris Court letterhead]
Dimensions
sheet: 22.7 x 17.6 cm (8 15/16 x 6 15/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2009.70.165
Credit line
Joseph F. McCrindle Collection
Time span
1851 to 1875
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • inscription
  • calligraphic
  • Portrait
  • Face
  • Man
Provenance

(Brian Sewell, London, by 1980); Joseph F. McCrindle [1923-2008], New York, 1980; Joseph F. McCrindle Foundation, 2008; gift to NGA, 2009.

Inscription

by artist, center left in pen and black ink, with brush and red wash: Dear KJ. (enclosed in a rectangle) / Here is the sketch / of Irving I promised / to send you. / Yours [most?] Sincerely/Mortimer Menpes; by artist, center right in graphite: M.M.; by artist, lower right in graphite: M. (erased); by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: MC0258

Watermarks

WHS (encircled) / Emissary Bond

NGA object ID 143680. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.