Accession Number
1954/1.361

Title
The Little Forge

Artist(s)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1875

Medium & Support
drypoint on laid paper

Dimensions
15 3/16 in. x 11 13/16 in. ( 38.6 cm x 30 cm )

Credit Line
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker

Subject matter
Whistler’s interest in scenes of working class men is captured here in a reprise of his earlier theme of "The Forge" from 1861. Instead of the effects of the furnace itself, this view of a smithy’s shop is focused on labor. Two men work with their backs to one another, forming complementary arcs as they bend over their tasks. The man in the foreground is working the hot metal on an anvil while in the background the other man is seated at a bench before the window. Three other figures are seen at the right and emblems of their labor—horseshoes—are visible hanging on the wall. The Rembrandtesque interest in chiaroscuro in a darkened room remains a constant motif in Whistler’s etchings.

Physical Description
Several figures are seen within an interior; the two principal figures are each bent over their tasks. The man at the bottom of the image holds a hammer in his left hand and is about to strike something held in his right hand that is positioned on an anvil; his figure is leaning forward, in profile, facing to the right. The other figure sits with his back to the viewer, facing to the left and towards a window at the far left. A furnace is visible at the center background, and other figures are lightly drawn in at the far right. Deep shadows and a timber ceiling create a sense of a dark interior and numerous horseshoes are visible on the wall between the furnace and the window.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Western

Rights
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Keywords
blast furnaces
forge welding
forges (machinery)
industrialization
interiors
metalworkers
seated
smithies
standing
working class