Sketches in Milan

Architect and sketcher Arnold William Brunner captured architectural studies during travels in Milan, Italy. The page displays rapid pen drawings of local structures—towers, fortifications, and modest buildings—rendered in the economical linear style of late nineteenth-century architectural notation. Brunner's technique favors quick hatching and simplified forms to convey mass and surface texture. These working sketches exemplify the visual documentation methods architects employed before photography became standard practice, combining measured observation with interpretive line work. The loose compositional arrangement and varied scale suggest a travel journal rather than formal presentation drawings, offering insight into the working methods of American architects engaging with European architectural traditions.