A. A. Parker

This 19th-century artist made crisp, dark ink portraits that look like they could’ve been sketched in a single sitting. One example is the 1826 print James Lew, where every line tells you something about the man’s face and posture. The style fits the period’s taste for quick, sharp likenesses that still feel dignified. Tap the print to zoom in on the way Parker used cross-hatching to shape light and shadow around Lew’s coat collar.