Our Artist in Cuba Fifty drawings on wood. Leaves from the Sketch-book of a traveler, During the Winter of 1864-5.

This mid‑nineteenth‑century travelogue presents fifty wood‑cut sketches drawn during the winter of 1864‑5. The artist records Havana’s busy plazas, orange groves, and the steamship Columbia’s arrival with quick, on‑the‑spot impressions. Though often exaggerated, the images retain a clear eye for detail, making the distant island feel immediate and vivid.

The book offers lively vignettes—a booby perched on deck, a porter hauling luggage, the solemn bell tower of the old convent, and a carnival of masked dancers. Sketches blend humor with documentary fidelity, showing Cuban coffee rituals, street vendors, and spirited cock‑fights. Listening to the narration, you can almost hear horse‑drawn carriages rattling over cobblestones while the wood‑cut lines convey the sun‑baked textures of the streets. It feels like a portable window onto a bygone Antilles.