Miner Kilbourne Kellogg, born Manlius - Turk of Azani, Asia Minor - 1845 - T-Shirt

A graphite head-and-shoulders portrait of a bearded man in a tightly wound turban, drawn from life during Miner Kilbourne Kellogg's travels in Asia Minor in 1845.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is built from grey graphite on warm buff paper, and the paper tone does much of the work, giving the whole sheet a soft, aged warmth. The sitter's head fills the upper frame, with his shoulders and loose robe dropping toward the lower edge. Fine parallel strokes trace the folds of the turban, while the face is modelled with gentle shading around the eyes, cheekbones and beard. His gaze turns off to one side, and the robe is held to economical outlines. Two lines of inscription sit in the lower margin: "Turk of Azani - Asia Minor" and "July 1845."

Meaning & Symbolism

The picture is a study of one individual, recorded for his character and dress rather than for a story. The turban and high-collared robe show the costume the artist encountered on his journey, and the dated label places the sketch in Asia Minor in the summer of 1845. Kellogg, born in Manlius, New York, was an American painter who travelled in Europe and the Near East in the 1840s, and this sheet is one of his figure studies from that trip. It reflects the period's habit of drawing people met on travels, alongside the landscapes and monuments that filled such sketchbooks.

Wearing the Portrait

A portrait this quiet rewards a close look, and a tee keeps it in view as you move through your day. The face and headwear sit at the centre of the design, so the turban's fine folds and the sitter's steady gaze are what catch the eye when the shirt is worn. The dated inscription in the lower margin reads as a caption, tying the wearer's chest to the moment and place the drawing was made.