Series II: Sketchbooks

This series contains two spiral bound sketchbooks filled with graphite, charcoal and pen and ink drawings. The smaller book, approximately 4 x 5 inches in size, has drawings Brown created in Italy in 1944. These sketches illustrate the soldiers' daily lives; reading, playing cards and standing guard. A few landscapes and character studies are included.

The larger book, approximately 6 x 9 inches in size, also contains graphite and pen and ink sketches done in Italy in 1944. These sketches show soldiers digging trenches, laying wire, bathing and sleeping. Many are captioned with short descriptions of the scenes. One sketch shows men bathing in a well with a caption that describes the excitement of bathing in cold water under the warm sun. Another image simply labeled "Street of Fear," depicts a dark, rubble filled walkway in an unidentified city. This sketchbook also contains several portraits of Brown's fellow soldiers along with some description of their quirky personalities.