Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - Horse - 1897 - T-Shirt

A quick graphite study of a horse with its head lowered, its legs caught in a loose, stepping stance, drawn on cream paper in 1897 by American sculptor Solon Borglum.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is built from restraint. Cream paper fills most of the frame, and the horse is rendered in pale graphite grey with only a few light strokes. The head and neck sit toward the lower left, outlined with quick marks around the muzzle and ears. The forelegs reach forward, while the hind legs and tail are suggested at the right with fewer lines, so parts of the body dissolve into the open sheet. A small handwritten notation sits in the lower right corner, and the rest of the page is left empty.

Meaning & Symbolism

Studies like this were working drawings. A sculptor needed to understand how a horse's limbs carry weight and shift in motion before modelling the animal in three dimensions, and the lowered head and angled legs capture that moment of movement. Beyond the studio, the horse carried weight in Western subjects, where it stood for mobility, labour and open country. Solon Borglum (1868-1922) was born in Ogden, Utah, and became known for bronze animal and Western subjects. He worked much of the 1890s in Paris and was the younger brother of Gutzon Borglum. This sketch shows the close study of anatomy and gesture behind that sculptural work.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A sketch this spare suits a shirt, where the drawing reads at chest scale and the empty paper around the horse becomes part of the layout. The eye moves from the lowered head to the trailing legs the same way it does in the original, so the design rewards a second look at close range.