Miner Kilbourne Kellogg, born Manlius - Bedouin Woman - n.d. - T-Shirt

Two standing women in long veiled robes stand side by side on a warm cream ground, drawn in pencil and coloured wash with a careful eye for costume.

Visual Elements & Composition

The sheet is built on a pairing. Both figures stand full-length and frontal, which gives the composition a steady, almost formal rhythm. The left figure wears a striped head wrap, a veil falling over her shoulders, and a heavy beaded necklace with bangles on both wrists. Her robe carries a band of small diamond motifs down the front. The right figure wears a wound head covering and a dark-striped veil over a long robe, and holds a small gold tray with cups or vessels set upon it.

Buff paper dominates the sheet, with ochre, rose tan and maroon brown worked into the robes, and gold picked out in the tray and jewellery. Pencil outlines hold each shape, so the layering of cloth reads clearly from the hem to the veil.

Meaning & Symbolism

The drawing is a study of women's dress and adornment. The beaded necklace and bangles mark status, while the tray signals a domestic or hospitable role. Miner Kilbourne Kellogg, born in Manlius, New York, made studies like this during his travels in the Near East, recording the people he met alongside their costume and possessions. The restrained faces and carefully rendered garments show a record of regional dress rather than a dramatic scene, and the warm palette binds the two figures into one visual statement.

On the Tee

A figure study like this rewards a closer look, and a tee brings it close to the eye. The two women stand side by side across the chest, so the striped veil, the diamond band and the gold tray stay readable as you move. Wear it and the design becomes part of your own outline, with the garments drawn in the same warm earth tones you see on the sheet.