Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - Horse Study and Rabbits - n.d. - T-Shirt

A graphite study sheet by American sculptor Solon Borglum, filled with horse legs, two rabbits and a perched bird, each drawn with the same close attention to contour.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is worked in sepia graphite on cream paper, and the paper itself carries most of the light across the sheet. Two large horse legs dominate the centre and left: one raised with the hoof lifted, the other planted with a heavy, rounded hoof resting on the ground. Their shading uses soft, directional strokes that describe muscle and bone. Smaller drawings sit at the lower left and right, where one rabbit is crouched and another is shown in sharp profile with its long ears laid back. A small bird perches in the lower centre, turned to the right, reduced to quick outlines. A few faint sketches appear along the upper edge, and an inscription reading Solon H B sits at the right side.

Meaning & Symbolism

Placing a large working animal beside small wild and domestic creatures on one page shows the artist recording forms for their own sake. Each creature is an object of study rather than a character in a story. Solon Borglum (1868–1922) was born in Ogden, Utah, and became known for bronze animal and Western subjects, much of his career spent in Paris. He was the younger brother of Gutzon Borglum. Sheets like this one show the range of observation behind his sculpture, from the structure of a horse's leg to the posture of a small creature, and the drawing practice that supported his modelling of animals in three dimensions.

Studies Worn Close

A sheet of studies reads best when it is seen up close, the way a sketchbook page is read, with the eye moving from one animal to the next. Printed across the chest, this composition keeps its scattered arrangement: the horse legs anchor the centre while the rabbits and bird occupy the edges, so the shirt carries the layout of the original page. The inscription at the right ties the piece back to the hand that drew it.