# Boy Reading

- By: François Bonvin (French, 1817-1887)
- Date: c. 1861
- Medium: Black chalk, heightened with touches of white chalk, on white laid paper
- Classification: Drawing and Watercolor
- Dimensions: 47.5 × 31.2 cm (18 3/4 × 12 5/16 in.)
- Culture: France
- Credit line: Harold Joachim Memorial Endowment Fund
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/129771)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/35dd4704-c15a-ae71-283d-1744b40fc449/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Large-scale monochrome drawings, such as this one, became popular in 19th-century France and were considered finished works in their own right, rather than preparatory studies for paintings. Here, a young boy is lost in contemplation while reading a book. This scene of leisure serves as a counterpoint to Servant Drawing Water from the Fountain (2024.149), which depicts a maid at work.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0