Jacques Reich, 10 Aug 1852 - 8 Jul 1923 - Nathaniel Hawthorne - c. 1899-1920 - T-Shirt

This is a pen and ink portrait of the American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, drawn in fine parallel lines on a warm cream sheet.

Visual Elements & Composition

The portrait is a head-and-shoulders study, turned slightly toward the viewer, with the face as the clear focal point. Cross-hatching models his high, largely bare forehead, swept-back hair and moustache, while the dark double-breasted jacket and white bow-tie collar frame the figure in strong black. The background is shaded only lightly with loose strokes, so the eye stays on the face. The artist's signature, "Jacques Reich", sits in the lower right corner.

Meaning & Symbolism

The sober dress and steady, inward gaze reflect Hawthorne's concerns. His best-known works, The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of the Seven Gables, examine guilt, inherited sin and the moral weight of the Puritan past in New England. The drawing belongs to a late nineteenth and early twentieth century practice of making literary portraits in pen and ink for reproduction in books and periodicals. The original is held in the National Portrait Gallery collection.

Wearing the Portrait

A chest-level print turns the wearer into a moving frame for the drawing. Its fine hatching reads best at close range, so the tee shows the most detail when seen up close in conversation or on a bookshelf of your own reading. The reflective mood of the portrait sits quietly on the body, and the cream and black palette pairs with almost any everyday outfit.