Samuel Johnson Woolf, 12 Feb 1880 - 3 - Melvin Traylor - c. 1930 - T-Shirt

This charcoal and white chalk portrait shows banker Melvin A. Traylor from the shoulders up, head tilted slightly forward, with a faint smile and lowered eyes.

Visual Elements & Composition

Warm tan paper fills most of the sheet and sets the tone. Dark charcoal brown defines the brow, nose and jaw, while white chalk lifts the forehead, cheek and the edge of a light shirt collar. A dark tie sits beneath the collar, anchoring the lower half of the figure. The lower edge of the drawing dissolves into loose strokes, and the sitter's name is signed in script in the lower right corner.

Meaning & Symbolism

Traylor headed a major Chicago financial institution, and portraits of business leaders of the period were often published in the press to convey stability and public trust. Here, the relaxed smile and lowered gaze present a measured, approachable figure rather than an imposing one. The drawing's date places him within the Depression years, when banking reputations were closely watched. Samuel Johnson Woolf, born in 1880, built his reputation on charcoal portraits of public figures published widely in newspapers and magazines. This sheet shows his method of quick tonal modelling with chalk highlights on toned paper. The original is part of the National Portrait Gallery collection.

Made for the Chest

A head-and-shoulders study works well on a tee because the whole portrait reads at a glance, from across a room or up close. The tan ground and charcoal tones give the image a soft, paper-like feel, and the drawn collar and tie place the sitter directly at the centre of the front. It is a portrait you wear as much as look at.