James Edward Kelly, born New York City - Major General Thomas Porter Hatch - 1896 - T-Shirt

This is a charcoal and white chalk profile portrait of a bald, bearded officer in uniform, drawn in strict left profile against a warm grey ground.

Visual Elements & Composition

The sheet is built around the head and shoulders, with the sitter facing left and the rest of the page left quiet. Graphite black dominates the drawing, layered in fine hatching that models the dome of the skull and the long beard. Pale white chalk picks out the brow, nose and the curl of the beard, giving the face its sharp edge against the warm grey paper. The dark high collar frames the neck, and two star-shaped insignia sit on the shoulder strap, with two buttons visible on the breast. Lettering runs beneath the figure: Jno. P. Hatch, Maj. Gen. U.S. Vols., with the artist's signature and the date June 23rd 1896 at the lower right.

Meaning & Symbolism

The inscription names the sitter as Thomas Porter Hatch, a major general of United States Volunteers, the wartime rank given to officers commissioned for the Civil War. The uniform, high collar and shoulder stars signal that rank, and the drawing presents him as a senior officer in formal dress rather than in the action of a campaign. Profile likenesses like this were a common way of recording the men who served, and the handwritten name fixes his identity on the sheet itself. James Edward Kelly (1855–1933) was an American illustrator, painter and sculptor from New York, known for his city scenes and later sculpture. This 1896 drawing shows his portrait skill at its most controlled, with smooth tonal gradations and careful outlines.

Bringing the Portrait Onto the Tee

A profile portrait reads best at chest height, where the viewer sees the strict outline of the head and the clean line of the collar. The graphic sits on the front of the shirt as a single, centred figure, so the stars, buttons and handwritten rank stay legible as you move. Wearing it puts a formal 1890s officer study on everyday clothing, with the handwritten inscription and date carrying the story of the original sheet.