American Art Collaborative

Baltimore artist, Alfred Jacob Miller was a prolific sketcher. He filled many journals with drawings and captions from the time he was studying in Paris and Rome (1833) until the 1870's. In 1969 a collection of 100 of these sketches was generously donated to the Walters Art Museum by J. William Middendorf II. The interests of Miller are clearly reflected in these sketches: the theater (a large portion being quick figure drawings of the Ravel Pantomime Troupe), childhood memories, Baltimore scenery, and witty scenes of characters. (See The Walters Art Gallery Bulletin, April, 1969, Vol. 21, No. 7, Pages 3-4). "'Now, Doctor - do please tell me, in plain terms what is the matter?' 'Why you see, my dear Madam, there is a concatenation of pyrosis, cardialgia & gastrodynia - we must resort to something that is analeptic, discutient and somnolific, or else we shall have malignant exanthemata, petechiar & peripneumony - Please recollect this.'" -Miller