The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 19, 2026

A vertically oriented lithograph hand-colored with brown wash on tan paper features two boys with light skin tones within a black rectangular border. Center, a boy in a frayed hat and loose jacket sits facing right, eyes downcast. On the right, a second boy in a brimmed hat looks forward with a finger to his lips. A shallow bowl with small, round objects sits lower left. Dense hatching creates texture.

Rustic Figures: Two Boys

1801

Thomas Barker

(British, 1769–1847)
England, early 19th Century
lithograph hand-colored with brown wash
Sheet: 26.3 x 18.6 cm (10 3/8 x 7 5/16 in.); Image: 21.8 x 14.6 cm (8 9/16 x 5 3/4 in.); Secondary Support: 23.5 x 15.7 cm (9 1/4 x 6 3/16 in.)
Gift of Marsha and Tom French in memory of Fred Schmidt 2001.169
Catalogue raisonné: not in Felix Man
Location: Not on view

Description

Lithography was invented in Germany in 1798 as a commercial technique but soon spread to England where it was quickly adopted by artists. This is one of the very earliest artist's lithographs which is very welcome in our fine collection of early lithography.
  • {{cite web|title=Rustic Figures: Two Boys|url=false|author=Thomas Barker|year=1801|access-date=19 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2001.169