Study for a Portrait of Mr. Morris K. Jesup, Esq.

Daniel Huntington's sketch depicts a bearded gentleman in three-quarter view, seated and holding an open portfolio or sketchbook. The subject's engaged posture and thoughtful expression suggest a man of intellectual pursuits. Huntington's assured line work—economical yet detailed—reveals his academic training and decades of portrait practice. At eighty years old, the artist remained prolific, employing preliminary sketches like this to establish composition and character before committing to finished paintings. The notation in the lower left references "Instep for Instant," likely an artistic reminder about anatomical proportion.