Miner Kilbourne Kellogg, born Manlius - Capital (Column Series) - unknown - T-Shirt

This pencil study sets out a classical column as a set of measured profiles, with a volute capital, moulded base and handwritten dimensions laid out across cream paper.

Visual Elements & Composition

Warm paper tones dominate the sheet, with graphite grey lines and pale ochre shading kept to the edges. Rather than one view, the drawing is arranged as a set of profiles. At upper left, a volute capital unrolls in elevation with spiral scrolls and a band of leaf ornament. Above and to the right, a moulding stack shows rows of bead-like ornament and a rounded projection. Below, a stepped column base is built up in successive blocks, each marked with a dimension. The handwritten notes read "22 flutes in column," "Base - 2 ft 6 in diameter - at top - 2 ft 3 in including flutes," and "2 Corner columns of facade - Thus ornamented."

Meaning & Symbolism

Drawings like this record the proportions of an architectural order so that a column could be reproduced, checked or compared. The precise measurements and the count of flutes treat the classical member as a system of dimensions rather than as ornament for its own sake. The reference to corner columns on a façade ties the study to a real building, making the sheet a practical record of how a column is assembled from its parts. Miner Kilbourne Kellogg, born in Manlius, New York, was an American painter working in the nineteenth century, and this study shows the same measured observation found across his drawn work. Its disciplined linework reflects an artist working in a technical register alongside his painting and figure drawing.

Built Up From Its Parts

Printed on a tee, the drawing stays true to its method: every profile is shown separately and every part carries its own measure. The composition reads top to bottom, from capital to base, so the shirt rewards a close look at how the column is put together. The sheet's warm paper tone and dark graphite lines carry over directly to the print, keeping the precision of the original study intact.