The Harvard University Art Museums hold one of the world's finest collections of early nineteenth-century drawings; the nearly 500 works reproduced in this catalogue include the most significant groups of drawings outside France by the masters of the age--David, Gericault, Ingres, Delacroix, and Prud'hon. Although familiar to scholars, the collection has never been the subject of a comprehensive catalogue, and many of the drawings are published here for the first time.

Agnes Mongan, Curator Emeritus of drawings and former director of the Fogg Art Museum, served the Museum for more than forty years until her retirement in 1975. She is the author of numerous publications in the field of French drawings.