Artist
Summer A. Smith(American, active late 1850s)American, active late 1850s
CultureAmerican
Titles
- [Blacksmith Forging a Horseshoe]
Date1859–1860
Place depictedPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
MediumDaguerreotype with applied color in leather case
DimensionsImage: 2 11/16 × 2 3/16 in. (6.9 × 5.6 cm)
Closed (Case): 3 11/16 × 3 1/4 × 3/4 in. (9.3 × 8.3 × 1.9 cm)
Open (Case): 3 11/16 × 6 9/16 × 3/8 in. (9.3 × 16.6 × 1 cm)
Closed (Case): 3 11/16 × 3 1/4 × 3/4 in. (9.3 × 8.3 × 1.9 cm)
Open (Case): 3 11/16 × 6 9/16 × 3/8 in. (9.3 × 16.6 × 1 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2017.346
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
Most “occupational” daguerreotypes—portraits of tradespeople with their tools—were produced on plates no larger than this example, affordable for their working-class butcher, baker, and candlestick-maker subjects. Here, a ruggedly masculine blacksmith forges a horseshoe at his anvil while his expression and eye contact convey a strong psychological connection.
Provenance[Ken Appollo, Rhinebeck, New York]; purchased by Stanley B. Burns; [Sotheby's, New York, Important Daguerreotypes from the Stanley B. Burns, MD, Collection, October 5, 2017, Sale N09642, Lot 10]; purchased by MFAH, 2017.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Embossed on velvet lining, case lid interior: S.A.SMITH // 416 N.2ND ST.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
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