This graphite sketch by Sanford Robinson Gifford captures a seascape with atmospheric notation, demonstrating the artist's characteristic approach to recording light and weather conditions in nature. The work's inclusion of color notations alongside the graphite drawing reveals Gifford's practice of using sketches as working studies to preserve visual observations for future reference in studio compositions. As a member of the Hudson River School, Gifford employed such intimate sketchbook pages to explore the ephemeral effects of light and moisture that would later inform his luminous landscape paintings.