Imagine, you are a young man living in 1914. The Great War has begun and Kitchener has called for men to join the war effort. You have decided to answer his call and are now preparing to go on this great adventure. You have packed all the essentials into your kitbag, as well as a couple of personal items. You have also packed the little sketchbook your sister gave you to take - such a thoughtful gift. You have always loved to sketch and will enjoy making drawings of all the amazing things you see. Little do you realise what lies ahead.
When I took this sketchbook to show the children they were most impressed. Although there are only a few sketches in the book, the skill and care they were drawn with was something which the children could really appreciate. They were intrigued to discover how widespread sketching was though. To the children, sketching and drawing is mainly a way of filling time and the pieces they draw are seldom kept. Most of them would not even think of keeping a sketchbook when they were on holidays or visiting somewhere new, and were intrigued to learn that in times gone by, people did just that, keeping sketchbooks almost as a diary of their travels.
Drawing has been central to human history for thousands of years. Even in the early days of human history, up to 35000 years ago, cavemen recorded what they saw around them in drawings on cave walls. This was a way of recording what they saw and what was important to them, and perhaps unsurprisingly many of the drawings are of animals, their source of food. Egyptians used drawing and painting to decorate their buildings and tombs, as did the Greeks and Romans in their magnificent frescos. Not only were these decorations beautiful, they recorded how people lived and what was important to them. Sketches performed a very similar task for people, though in a much more personal way.
Sketchbooks are sometimes purchased prebound, but can also be a collection of drawings, later bound together. They are fascinating historical records, revealing a great deal about the people who made them. They were usually not made to be seen by people other than the artist so they are often intensely private. As a result, they can reveal what was important to the people who used them, what they valued, what (and who) they loved, where they went, who they admired. I don't know who used the sketchbook I showed the children, but they clearly admired Kitchener, the 'Commander-In-Chief' during the Boer War and into the First World War, sketching him in their book in 1914. For actual artists sketchbooks are often full of quick outlines which can be later developed into fuller works of art. They were the must have accessory for young people heading off on the Grand Tour of Europe in the 19th century, allowing them to record what they saw on their trip. They are often full of classical architecture and sculpture, and some famous architects and garden designers used their own sketchbooks as inspiration. Sketching was an accepted passtime for young women of the upper classes, a record of life for people who were moving around, and perhaps a comfort from home for those away at war.
