A Bachelor's Drawer
Artist: John Haberle (American, 1856–1933)
Original Dimensions: 20" x 36"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (1890–94) "This is the last and among the largest of Haberle’s humorous trompe-l’oeil (French for "fool the eye") still lifes. Arranged against a simulated drawer front and rendered with remarkable precision are the intimate souvenirs of a bachelor’s freedom, including theater stubs, playing cards, and "girlie" photographs. Other items—including a pamphlet entitled "How To Name the Baby" and a cartoon of a dyspeptic infant—signal the end of premarital life for men. Haberle’s self-portrait, in a simulated tintype at the bottom edge of the canvas, which functions as a signature, suggests that the narrative is autobiographical." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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