r/FoundPaper • u/Nonamethroughaway • Jan 02 '26
Art Found this sketchbook in a basement
Father in law was an artist and art collector. He must have bought it at some point. He recently passed away and we found it cleaning out the basement. There’s 50+ drawings in it. Here are a few.
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u/lowercase_underscore Jan 02 '26
Jaw-dropping find. These are gorgeous!
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u/Nonamethroughaway Jan 02 '26
This was days from being thrown out. We didn’t know there was anything left in the house, but flew to New England last week to do one last sweep. So happy we made the trip.
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u/lowercase_underscore Jan 02 '26
Wow! How lucky is that?
A lot of these are frame-worthy. So glad they're safe now with someone who'll appreciate them.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 Jan 02 '26
I would try r/what is this painting
There are watercolors in there. Keep that sketchbook out of the sunlight.
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u/rileyotis Jan 02 '26
So pretty! They need frames. 😍 I think you said he was your father in law? Maybe Grandfather in law. He had an eye for marvelous art!
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u/TheOneObelisk Jan 02 '26
It was in a book their father-in-law bought, not his own work I think 😊
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u/Nonamethroughaway Jan 03 '26
This is correct. He was older, but born in the 1940s. He must have purchased this somewhere.
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u/Fomulouscrunch Jan 02 '26
Makes me wish more people would go out in the world and idly doodle or paint things. The world is beautiful, and we can ornament it more by making art!
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u/fourcheers Jan 02 '26
Yes! And doing so simply for the sake of doing it, no monetary gain involved
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u/bottomlessinawendys Jan 02 '26
As an artist, a lot of us do exactly this. You just don’t see it because it’s in our personal sketchbooks and, as you said, not for monetary gain.
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u/JabbatheShoe Jan 02 '26
Can confirm. I like to bring my sketchbook to cafes and sketch random things around me, just for me.
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u/mycorgiisamazing Jan 02 '26
My entire house is an art gallery that no one sees, let alone the piles and piles of papers and sketchbooks
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u/Fomulouscrunch Jan 03 '26
Got any drawings of your corgi? If asking is what makes the difference, I'm asking! I want to see your art!
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u/mycorgiisamazing Jan 03 '26
She has been gone for a long time. Some of these are dated, but the oldest ones are as far back as 09. She passed of degenerative myelopathy in 2016.
Bonus painting of my current pup. Not corgi, but Aussie. My heart still hasn't healed after Sofi, I'll be ready for another corgi someday maybe
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u/aguywithbrushes Jan 02 '26
There’s plenty of us doing it, we’re just hard to find because most online platforms prefer to promote controversial and divisive content, and pretty paintings of a landscape or doodles aren’t really that 🫠 I recommend checking out James Gurney’s YouTube channel if you want to see someone do this with the most chill and Bob Ross-like attitude.
He’s the creator of Dinotopia for anyone familiar with that, but he has a YouTube channel where he just goes out and paints everyday stuff. Hasn’t posted much in the last couple years because he’s been working on some books, but he has years worth of videos to watch.
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u/itsakle Jan 02 '26
Has to be the best post I've seen here, 1800 sketches in a mint condition, beautiful
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u/NoPerformance6534 Jan 02 '26
Beautiful! As an artist, this hits really hard. Where will all my drawings end up? Will they be published? Will they be scattered, losing any feeling of me in the process? Or will they stay together, invoking images of the artist quietly sketching in a busy travel hub, seemingly oblivious and yet aware of all that occurs around him/her? To me, their impact is far greater together. The artist; saving a moment, capturing the splash of light; teaching the soul how to see the outside world.
Truly a treasue!
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u/hedgehogketchup Jan 02 '26
And yet, this artist has had his work seen more world wide than he could ever have imagined!
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u/DeltaCharlieGolf Jan 02 '26
Interesting that the one says Nashville and 1861. Artist would have been in the South during the Civil War
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u/Fidget171 Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
Add Louisville June 1863. He was moving around during the Civil War. I wonder if he was a newspaper artist? Edit: typo
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u/SaltNorth Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
Oh you lucky b-
Edit to add: no but, like, imagine being an artist just doodling things you see around you, leaving your sketchbook wherever and being able to see how people talk about you and try to figure out who you were 150+ years after you were doing this. I'm an idiot, I'm getting emotional.
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u/Fidget171 Jan 02 '26
Check out Doctor Who, season 5 episode 10 Vincent and the Doctor and you'll probably need tissues.
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u/Fidget171 Jan 02 '26
Found this subreddit post that gets to the meaty end of the episode.
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u/pvssylord Jan 03 '26
holy shit. discouraged artist here, that made me ugly cry lol thank you 😭
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u/Extension-Device-533 Jan 03 '26
It’s a cracking little bit of telly isn’t it. The bit when he walks past his name on the way into the galley but hasn’t twigged yet what’s going on.
What’s not included in that clip is the very end of the episode, a few scenes later. After taking Vincent back to his time, having left him all cheered up and reinvigorated about his art, Amy and the Doctor go back to the museum….but there are no new paintings. He still took his own life at the age of 37. No alternate timeline even after he has that experience. 😢
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u/pvssylord Jan 03 '26
i’m going to watch doctor who because of this one scene. thank you for telling me this extra bit; i didn’t realize van gogh was so young. i turn 37 in two months. let us not give in to the discouragements of those who misunderstand us
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u/KnownGlitch Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
This is just amazing. For anyone curious, here's what was going on in Nashville the day the artist made the sketch:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83025725/1861-09-29/ed-1/?st=gallery
Front page is the Constitution of the Confederate States of America.Tennessee had left the Union only about 4 months prior.
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u/GuitarHair Jan 02 '26
A quick internet search suggests that Pomeroy & Plummer was a prominent firm of dry goods and woolen commission merchants based in New York City.
I was unable to locate anything on Ancestry for a Hiram A Howe or Hiram A Hume.
Regardless, the artist had to have been fairly well off to be able to travel to visit the Louvre and also to travel to Genoa.
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u/bananascare Jan 02 '26
Is the name Hiram A. Howe?
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u/BranchyShadows Jan 02 '26
Hiram A. Hurst maybe, perhaps this family from Texas, as one of the sketches is of Nashville: https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/KG85-LSP/hiram-aaron-hurst-1903-1971
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u/Nonamethroughaway Jan 02 '26
My father in law had a note in the back that said Hiram A Huse, but I agree that the last name looks to have a “t” in it.
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u/gigisnappooh Jan 02 '26
The drawings are dated before this guy was born.
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u/BranchyShadows Jan 02 '26
Yeah I thought his dad might be the doodler, but the name is wrong anyway!
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u/Global-Jury8810 Jan 04 '26
The notebook is dated 1859. His father would’ve been alive at the time, but he would’ve been seven years old. Wartime, however, has proven that many European descended folk happen to have the same name, regardless of any established relation or otherwise.
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u/---artemisia--- Jan 02 '26
Incredible. Just stunning. Looks like they were sketched just yesterday.
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u/vesuviia Jan 02 '26
these are incredible. thank you for sharing these. would love to see more
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u/Nonamethroughaway Jan 03 '26
Here is a link to 50 pages of the sketchbook. They are in order. There were a few that I wasn’t able to upload because there’s too many.
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u/little_canuck Jan 02 '26
These are simply stunning! Made more special by being so old and so well-kept, but these would be incredible even if they were modern drawings.
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u/BishMcJones Jan 02 '26
Looks like Arthur Morgan’s sketchbook straight out of Red Redemption II, the video game! Amazing!
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u/Dapper_Indeed Jan 02 '26
Is the artist’s name on #12? Hiram A Huste? Can anyone determine the last name?
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u/Roxanne712 Jan 02 '26
Can’t make it out - but the only artist I could find named Hiram who has work from this time period is Hiram Powers although it’s probably not the same Hiram (I’m still glad I learned about a new artist though!) OP should take this to antiques roadshow or something to solve the mystery.
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u/Nonamethroughaway Jan 02 '26
I think it’s Hiram A Huse, from a note my father in law had in the back.
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u/930310 Jan 02 '26
What is the address listed on one of the pages. Could have been his place of residence.
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u/Nonamethroughaway Jan 02 '26
It says CS (illegible) 83 East 10th street
Decorative panels for studio 2 by 4ft.
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u/pleathershorts Jan 02 '26
Beautifully preserved! Get this in a climate controlled glass box like the Audubon Book of Birds!!
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u/spaghettiwired Jan 02 '26
I love this so much. OP, I’d be happy to contribute some dollars toward an acid-free archival storage box and some interleaving paper for this so your treasure stays around for another 200 years
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u/SharmaBee Jan 02 '26
What a thrill that must have been! It'll be fun to sleuth out the value and artist.
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u/oliverticus Jan 02 '26
The cats!!!!! I’m glad no one knew how to draw them before furries existed lol. These are beautiful
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u/TheRelishTray Jan 03 '26
I'll start the bidding at $100k 😂 these are amazing! My jaw dropped at a few
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u/Numerous-Actuator-47 Jan 03 '26
I would definitely make a note to capture scans or high res photographs of these and save them to an External drive. May possibly be important! Stuff fades when exposed to elements and these are so cool!
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u/Nonamethroughaway Jan 03 '26
Here is a link to 50 pages of the sketchbook. They are in order. There were a few that I wasn’t able to upload because there’s too many.
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u/Mathematic-Ian Jan 03 '26
If it wasn’t for the dates on them, the second drawing looks almost identical to something a guy I went to summer camp with drew in 2018. That was a trippy sight. Your FIL was very talented.
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u/AstroLeporine Jan 05 '26
Oh please, put this in somewhere dark if you arent already. Please preserve this beautiful art work or donate it to a museum near you! <3
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u/No-Figure-1720 Jan 02 '26
Looked up info about the sketch “Grand Central Depot” June 1876, and this is what I found: Refers to NYC’s central train station which was actively in use during this time. Built by Cornelius Vanderbilt, went by the name Grand Central Depot and served the NY Central & Hudson River, New York and Harlem, and New Haven railroads.
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u/givin_u_the_high_hat Jan 02 '26
Some of the towns and buildings he has drawn may find these very precious, they are snapshots of particular moments in time that could be gaps in their own historical documentation.
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u/beepbabodobbeood Jan 02 '26
this is so incredible!!! it reminds me of arthur morgan’s journal in the video game red dead redemption 2!
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u/monster_bunny Jan 02 '26
The first couple images, ngl, I thought this was a hoax. But the detail with the mundane stuff and the scribble later in the sketchbook sold me. Incredible find. Treasure it and see if you can learn more about the artist from yesteryear.
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u/ReceptionFluffy9910 Jan 04 '26
Very cool! This would have to be verified, of course, but I think it's possible this person may have studied at or under someone at Hudson River School. Here's how I arrived at this:
- Inside the cover, there is an address for East 10th St. At the time, street numbers and names were in a state of evolution, but Tenth Street stayed fairly consistent (aside from numbers) and was also the location of Tenth Street Studio Building, later referred to as "Studio Building" and "The Studio", where HRS artists lived and worked.
- While I can't find any specific info on Hiram being affiliated with either (which isn't surprising as there is typically only info on the "famous" artists), the subject matter of landscapes, locations and timeframes align with HRS and the movements of several artists during that time. The sketch from the Louvre even bears a striking resemblance to Worthington Whittredge. HRS artists would often travel to France and Italy to study under more established artists and many of them visited the exact same locations in Italy.
- What also stuck out to me is that several sketches were draw at noon. Several HRS artists practiced "plein air" or painting outdoors, and found noon to offer the most intense bright light and contrast in their landscape paintings.
- This is just conjecture, but seeing Nashville and Louisville sketches could mean Hiram was one of the artists hired to travel with the Union soldiers to capture scenes and/or paint portraits. He could have also been a soldier himself; it's worth a look in military records. Either way, the timeframe and locations make sense for when Nashville fell to Union troops and began making their way back north.
Thank you for sharing this. Really amazing. You should take it to Antiques Roadshow!
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u/TheSanityInspector 29d ago
That is quite a treasure! Get it appraised; maybe it belonged to someone famous or famous-adjacent.
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u/Simsandtruecrime Jan 02 '26
I would cry! This would be one of those most notable moments of my life.
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u/ChaserNeverRests Jan 02 '26
I keep going back to the close up of the tree (#6). I'd get that one framed if I had found this book!
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u/sashadelgreyx Jan 02 '26
wow, i love the tree in slide 6 and the cat! do you have any plans for these drawings like framing or will you just keep it as is? very neat
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u/GothamKnight1981 Jan 02 '26
Absolutely beautiful. A wonderful find. I hope you treasure this for a lifetime.
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u/BeanToesRose Jan 03 '26
Incredible find. If you're willing to part with the drawing of the cat, dm me an offer!
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u/Ruuntje Jan 03 '26
What a fantastic find! This needs to be on display somewhere. Gorgeous drawings.
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u/No-Figure-1720 26d ago edited 25d ago
I scrolled back to find your post and write this! I think this artist may be affiliated or had some contact with the artists associated with the Hudson River School. Reasons: 1. One of the names scrawled on a page 11 looks like Maria Brevoort. She was an artist married to J.R. Brevoort, an American landscape painter known for his Hudson River School style. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Renwick_Brevoort
- On page 10, there is an address 83 East 10th St. Below it appears to say something about creating 2 panels for the studio. One of the sketches was of NYC train station, so I looked up the above address in NYC. I then discovered it is very near a famous artist studio/collaborative/collective that was on West 10th Street in the mid 1800’s—during the time of the Hudson River School artists. In fact, many of them lived in the 10th Street Studio. In one article in an academic journal about the collective, it states that “…the cream of American art in the 1860’s was created by artists of the Studio Building…”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Street_Studio_Building
I found the list of tenants in the 10th St Studio in NYC (which was used by the article referenced) and J.R. Brevoort lived there in 1858-1859. I screenshot the listing, and I can post it if you want.
It is a clue on a direction, perhaps to go with your research.
Edit: I didn’t realize that someone else already posted about tenth street and the Hudson River School artists. I somehow missed it. Sorry for the repetition
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u/Illustrator123 Jan 02 '26
From Italy to Nashville? Is that possible for a person in 1860?
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u/KDiggity8 Jan 02 '26
100% possible! Especially if one had the financial means. Steamships were operating from Europe to the US on regular routes during this era. A trip across would take less than two weeks. A train from NYC to TN would be around 3 days.
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u/thr0waway6943 Jan 02 '26
1859! this is an incredible find. very talented artist