Several separate scenes, man looking at an easel, girl with board game
David Bles fills this sketchbook page with a charming cast of characters, offering a backstage peek into 19th-century Dutch life. On the left, an older gentleman—perhaps an artist himself—contemplates a canvas on an easel, while a young girl sits nearby, utterly absorbed in arranging tiny figures on a tray, possibly playing a game. Scattered around them are quick portrait studies, including a dashing man in a tricorn hat and a bearded figure in a ruff collar, showing off the artist's versatility. It feels like a visual diary where the artist was testing out poses and expressions, capturing fleeting moments of everyday curiosity and historical costume.