Sketching Strangers: Commuter Diaries from the Digital Library

Commuting has never looked this fun! These sketchbooks are a throwback to the glory days of people watching on the subway, bumping elbows with strangers, and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of The Underground. Artists from around the world documented their daily commutes through their cities and the melting pot of strangers they encounter along the way.

Sketches NYC Subway - Part One, Two, and Three by cheebravo is a series of sketchbooks containing pen sketches of the artist’s trips on the New York City subway.

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Martin Hoare captures the everyday life of a London commuter navigating the crowded stations of The Tube.

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In My Commuting Companion - Fall 2011, artist Carl Licence takes us on a train ride through Boston, documenting the many characters they encountered along their commute.

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Gerlinde Schweiger’s Commuting in Vienna contains live sketches from the artist’s daily commute to the office in Vienna, Austria.

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Noelle Raffaele’s observational portraits and writing in The Encyclopedia of Train Riders highlights the many different types of people one may encounter on the New York City subway.