Sketch of a Spanish Man

In these two works, Edward Penfield used controlled graphite outlines and watercolor washes to detail the tattered clothes and scruffy faces of working men he encountered during a 1906 trip through Spain. The frank realism of his approach gives his images a documentary authenticity; indeed, they were most likely studies for his illustrated travelogue Spanish Sketches (1911). While capitalizing on Americans’ fascination with the picturesque appeal of Spain, Penfield also endowed his subjects with a dignity reflected in their proud bearing.