In the Studio

Charles Samuel Keene · 1870/91

Medium

Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash and touches of white gouache, on cream wove paper, laid down on board

Original size

15.3 × 22.8 cm (6 1/16 × 9 in.)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Realism

*In the Studio* offers an intimate glimpse into the working life of a Victorian artist, rendered with the quiet confidence of a master draughtsman at the height of his powers. Charles Samuel Keene spent over three decades as the principal illustrator for *Punch*, earning a reputation as one of the finest pen-and-ink artists Britain ever produced. His technique was deeply considered — building tone through layered washes and precise linework rather than relying on shading alone. In this piece, the combination of brown ink, brush wash, and restrained touches of white gouache gives the composition a warmth and depth that photographs of the period could never achieve. Keene was quietly revered by fellow artists well beyond his public fame. Edgar Degas, notoriously selective in his admiration, collected Keene's drawings and held his draftsmanship in genuine esteem — high praise from one of the era's most demanding eyes. The original now lives in the Art Institute of Chicago, where its delicate paper surface and layered media reward close looking. This hand-painted oil reproduction translates that intimacy into a durable, richly worked canvas — preserving the tonal subtlety and compositional calm that have made Keene's studio scenes endure long past his Victorian moment.