While many areas of folk art collecting are strong right now, one is particularly compelling for dealer Barrett Menson of Perkins & Menson Antiques in Townsend, Massachusetts (978-729-5423): 19th-century marble-dust drawings. These black-and-white drawings have an enchanting quality that captivated Menson when he first encountered them 22 years ago. “I bought one for its frame,” recalls Menson, “and then I became enthralled by the drawing, and began to learn more about it.”

Known variously as marble-dust drawings, sandpaper drawings, or Grecian paintings, the works were done from the 1840s to 1900s by schoolgirls at finishing schools throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic. The technique involved applying charcoal to a prepared board coated with marble dust, then using a pen knife or needle to scratch away the charcoal to create an image.

“Ninety percent of them are unsigned,” says Menson, “and they were mostly done based on well-known engravings of the day, such as Currier and Ives, etc.” Marble-dust drawings were done using pastels instead of charcoal as well.

Menson says interest in marble-dust drawings has picked up recently. He notes that they were included in a recent exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City (www.folkartmuseum.org). Prices range from $250 for a small landscape to $1,500 for a rare example with Masonic symbols. “They are a unique American art form,” says Menson.