Henry Major, 1889 - 1948 - Charlie Chaplin - c. 1925 - T-Shirt

A man in a bowler hat and bow tie stands in profile, hands on a motion picture camera, in a quick pencil sketch from around 1925.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is built in light graphite on a parchment ground, with darker strokes reserved for the hat, the dark coat and the tripod legs. The camera spreads across the centre of the sheet, its twin magazine reels and lens housing giving it weight. A tall upright post and a small lamp or reflector sit at the right, while a pale screen fills the left. Loose hatching behind the figure suggests a set. A signature appears in the lower right.

Meaning & Symbolism

The catalogue identifies the subject as Charlie Chaplin, and the bowler hat recalls the costume that became his best-known screen character. Placing him behind the camera rather than in front of it shifts the sketch toward filmmaking itself, presenting the performer as a maker of the image. The screen, lamp and post give the scene the feel of a working studio. The artist, Henry Major, recorded the moment in a documentary manner that reflects the film-era portraits of the period.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A tee carries its artwork across the chest, so the figure stands at the centre of whoever wears it and the camera's lines run across the body as the wearer moves. The bowler hat and camera read clearly at a glance, and the sketch's loose, handmade lines keep the image feeling like a page from a studio notebook rather than a polished poster.