Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - Hats - n.d. - T-Shirt

A loose graphite study of two domed forms set on pale, yellowed paper, drawn to test how light gathers on a rounded surface.

Visual Elements & Composition

The sheet is built from soft, sepia-toned pencil on warm cream paper. The upper dome sits near the top of the sheet, its crown shaded in a gentle tone above a horizontal base line that runs to the left. Diagonal hatching wraps around it, suggesting a ground or a light source falling from one side. The lower form is larger and more heavily modelled, anchored by a darker base line. Short strokes and small marks drift between the two shapes, and at the lower right a faint upright figure appears in broken lines. Nothing is finished; the drawing reads as a quick study of shape and shadow rather than a complete scene.

Meaning & Symbolism

The work is a study of volume. Broad tonal strokes describe the curve of each form and the way shadow pools across it, while the base lines show how each dome rests on its ground. Solon Borglum (1868–1922), born in Ogden, Utah, worked principally as a sculptor, with animal and figure subjects forming much of his output, and he was the younger brother of Gutzon Borglum. Sketches like this one recorded form and tone before a subject was modelled in three dimensions, so the drawing belongs to the observational practice behind his sculpture.

Carrying the Study onto a Tee

A study like this asks to be seen up close, the way a sketchbook page is read. On a crew-neck tee, the drawing sits across the chest as a quiet, uncluttered field of tone, where the hatching and the sweep of each dome register as you move. Its restraint suits an everyday shirt that is worn and turned over many times.