Self-portrait

William Ralston

Photomechanical reproduction of pen and ink drawing.

2¾ x 2½ inches

J.A.Hammerton,Humourists of the Pencil , p.93.

This small drawing is emblematic of Ralston’s modest assessment of his talent, which stretches no further, he suggests, than the drawing of crude cartoons. However, the self-effacement is immediately contradicted by the droll elegance of the portraiture and the lyrical effects of the swirling pipe-smoke.

Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

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