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

A pen-and-ink study of women resting in a park, with a parasol raised beside a dense shrub, drawn in quick, confident line.

Visual Elements & Composition

The sheet is dominated by parchment cream, with ink black and hatch grey doing most of the work. Loose, fast hatching builds the dark, feathery foliage at upper centre, while most of the page stays open and airy. A seated figure in a long, full skirt holds a parasol beside the shrub, and a second woman in a voluminous gown sits on a chair beneath a suggested hat. Faint secondary figures and a few landscape lines fade toward the edges, and the word Park appears in cursive at the left.

Meaning & Symbolism

The scene captures a leisure moment typical of late nineteenth-century public gardens, when seated rest and strolling were fashionable pastimes for women of the middle and upper classes. The parasol, layered skirts and shaded shrub point to a warm afternoon outing. The partial figures show the artist recording posture and silhouette rather than composing a finished tableau, so the sheet reads as a working study of observed movement and dress. Solon Borglum (1868–1922) is best known as an American sculptor of animals and western subjects, and he trained in Paris in the 1880s. This drawing belongs to the preparatory and personal side of his practice.

Made for the Tee

A sketch built on open space and quick line suits a garment that is worn and seen up close. The figures sit across the chest, and the scattered edge figures and landscape lines wrap naturally toward the sleeves and sides as the shirt moves. The quiet, unhurried mood of the park scene carries easily into everyday wear.