Daniel Huntington, American, 1816–1906 - Elm near Pitman's, Bartlett, New Hampshire - September 5, 1862 - Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee Design

This graphite and white chalk drawing by Daniel Huntington records a single elm standing near Pitman's in Bartlett, New Hampshire, on September 5, 1862.

Visual Elements & Composition

The image is built from graphite line and white chalk on buff paper, so its tones run from dark pencil to pale highlight against a warm, muted ground. The elm is the subject, and the drawing gives its trunk, spreading limbs, and foliage the greatest attention. The surrounding landscape stays quieter, with the tree anchoring the composition and drawing the eye upward through its branches.

Meaning & Symbolism

Huntington was known chiefly for portraits and historical narratives, but this drawing shows his skill with the American landscape. Made during the Civil War, it belongs to the nineteenth-century tradition of observational studies by artists travelling the White Mountains. Landscapes of that region offered a sense of natural stability and national identity during a period of deep political strain. A carefully recorded elm near a rural homestead therefore stands for the familiar, cherished countryside the nation was working to preserve.

Designed for the Tee

A drawing like this rewards a closer look. The fine graphite lines and soft chalk highlights read best at a conversational distance, so the elm appears as the wearer walks, sits, or turns. Its single, unified subject keeps the front of the shirt clean and focused, letting the tree and its historic setting carry the design from one side of the chest to the other.