Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - Leaves - 1919 - T-Shirt

This is a charcoal study of a branch of broad, lobed leaves, drawn on cream paper in 1919 by the American sculptor and painter Solon Borglum.

Visual Elements & Composition

Five or six leaves cluster at the upper right and lower centre, joined by thin stems that curve across the sheet. Their surfaces are shaded in soft, dark charcoal tones, with the veining left visible and gentle shadows falling onto the paper. A short, bare twig rises from the upper middle, and a second fragment lies at the lower left. The ground around the branch stays open and pale, so the leaves read as one isolated cluster. The drawing is built on the contrast between dark foliage and cream paper, with the light resting on the folds of each leaf.

Meaning & Symbolism

Studies like this were a standard part of observational practice, where an artist drew a plant closely to understand its form and surface. Borglum is known for animal sculpture and public monuments, and this sheet shows the same attention to living structure. Rather than a scene or a story, the drawing focuses on the character of one plant, its overlapping arrangement and the way it holds light. The work is held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection, and its title and 1919 date anchor it to that moment in his practice.

Wearing the Drawing

On a tee, the branch sits as a single composition across the chest, so the leaves are seen as you move rather than all at once. The open pale ground around the cluster keeps the drawing clean and uncluttered, and the dark charcoal tones carry the detail at a glance. It is a quiet design for everyday wear, with the leaves and their shadows doing the work.