Although Alexander Calder is best known for his exuberant and playful sculptures and mobiles—such as those on view in the BMA’s Cone Wing and Sculpture Gardens—he was also a remarkable draftsman who contributed illustrations to several publications on animals, including an edition of Aesop’s fables. In "Animal Sketching", Calder encourages his readers to draw from nature or from photographs “when a specimen is unavailable.” Thoughtful text is paired with an array of animal drawings ranging from the “languid, long suffering” cow to the “sagacious profile” of the elephant to birds that make “difficult but worthy subjects.”