Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - Horse Anatomy - 1916 - T-Shirt

This is a pencil anatomy sheet from 1916, showing several studies of a horse's legs and body drawn on warm cream paper.

Visual Elements & Composition

Pale yellow paper fills most of the surface, with graphite grey lines carrying the drawing. A large side view of the trunk, shoulder and foreleg dominates the sheet, its muscles built up from layered curved lines and the bones of the lower leg outlined beneath. Smaller studies to the left break a limb into parts: an upper section and a jointed lower leg. A front view at the lower right isolates the paired joints and cannon bones. Short red-ink strokes mark one muscle group at the upper left, and small handwritten annotations with leader lines circle the drawings.

Meaning & Symbolism

Each study isolates one part of the animal, a joint, a muscle mass or a skeletal sequence, so its structure can be read clearly. The annotations sit beside individual forms, showing the drawings were made to be consulted and explained rather than displayed as a finished image. Solon Borglum (1868-1922) was an American sculptor born in Ogden, Utah, known for bronze animal and Western subjects, and he worked for many years in Paris. He was the younger brother of Gutzon Borglum. For a sculptor, a sheet like this is the bridge between the living animal and the modelled form: the angle of each joint and the bulk of each muscle had to be right before a figure could be built in clay.

Studied Lines, Worn Daily

The design belongs to a tee whose crew neckline and relaxed, classic fit suit an artwork built on careful observation. Its tightly knit cotton body gives the fine graphite lines room to read clearly, and the sheet's annotations and red-ink accents sit naturally across the chest, where the drawing can be seen at close range, the way a study is read on a drafting table.