pen picture

See also: pen-picture

English

WOTD – 3 May 2024

Etymology

From pen +‎ picture.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛn ˌpɪk(t)ʃə/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛn ˌpɪk(t)ʃəɹ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pen pic‧ture

Noun

pen picture (plural pen pictures) (idiomatic)

1. A written description, often biographical.

   Synonyms: pen portrait, sketch

   • 1842 April 30, “Six Nights with the Washingtonians: A Series of Original Temperance Tales. New York: Curry & Co., 155 Broadway [book review]”, in Brother Jonathan, volume II, number 1, New York, N.Y.: Wilson and Company, →OCLC, page 17, column 2:

     Mr. [Timothy Shay] Arthur has been, and is, a close observer, and in his pictures of domestic life, his groups include all the necessary characters, while the back ground and filling up take in all the accessories and incidentals, which, skilfully managed, give a pen-picture its vraisemblance.

   • 1863, J[ohn] Henry Hayward, “Editor’s Preface”, in J. Henry Hayward, editor, Poetical Pen-pictures of the War: Selected from Our Union Poets. […], New York, N.Y.: [J. Henry Hayward] […], →OCLC, page iv:

     [O]ur purpose […] was to secure a series of Pen Pictures, descriptive,—not of the most important events of the War, for that would be simply metrical history,—but of those events which have relation to the individual, that each and every particular poem might come home to some heart, and there find its abiding place throughg all time; […]

   • 1893, Edwin H. Porter, “Lizzie A. Borden Indicted”, in The Fall River Tragedy. A History of the Borden Murders. […], Fall River, Mass.: Geo[rge] R. H. Buffinton; press of J. D. Monroe, →OCLC, page 142:

     An afternoon newspaper published in Worcester, Mass., inflected upon its readers a screed worthy the ablest efforts of a Chicago anarchist. […] It drew a pen picture of the dread disease [cholera] in the act of purging the city of Fall River of such men as would dare to insinuate that the young woman [Lizzie Borden] was guilty.

   • 1942 November–December, “What Our Readers Think”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 322:

     I was most amused by the article on Sir Henry Fowler in the series "Some C.M.Es. I have Known." It was a perfect pen picture of one full of nervous energy.—Major H[ewitt] P[earson] M[ontague] Beames, […] (formerly Chief Mechanical Engineer, L.M.S.R.).

   • 1987, Chandrakant Mehta, “Chitradars Hano”, in edited by Amaresh Datta, Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, volumes I (A–Devo), New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, →OCLC, page 726, column 2:

     In the poem, the poet just gives a pen picture of his father, who according to him, represents all that is best in Aryan culture.

   • 2014, Jeremy Millar, Janine Bolger, “Working in the Life Space”, in Joyce Lishman, Janine Bolger, Neil Gibson, Gary Spolander, Chris Yuill, editors, Social Work: An Introduction, 3rd edition, London; Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications, published 2023, →ISBN, part 3 (Models of Intervention), page 377:

     If ego development has been disrupted by adverse life events, and especially an absence of nurturing during the formative years […], we can expect this developmental weakness to be played out in a range of behaviours that cause society concern and often lead to the individual requiring specialist forms of care and support. […] Below is a pen picture of a child lacking ego integrity.

2. (art, archaic) A picture drawn with a pen.

   Synonym: pen portrait

Alternative forms

• pen-picture

Translations

written description, often biographical

• Finnish: kuvaus (fi), luonteenkuvaus
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can

picture drawn with a pen

• Finnish: lyijykynäpiirros
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can

See also

• a picture is worth a thousand words