How 35 Children Born between 1724 and 1900 Learned to Draw

Abstract

This study examines from the perspective of historical precedence claims that learning to draw necessarily involves copying. It reports how 35 children, born between 1724 and 1900, learned to draw. It is based on biographies, autobiographies, and collections of youthful drawings. It compares the frequency with which different drawing strategies are reported and, where strategies involve a graphic influence, compares the frequency with which different kinds of imagery are reported. Support is established for the conventional position of Wilson and Wilson regarding learning to draw, as well as for their belief that children who are influenced by popular media are actively discriminating in favor of their own development.

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Notes on contributors

Paul Duncum

Paul Duncum is doctoral candidate and tutor, Visual Arts Dicipline. The author is Editor of the Journal of the Institute of Art Education.