The Smithy
Print
1894 (made)
1894 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
James Sharples was working outside the London print trade in publishing his print The Forge. The acclaim that he received for that print must have been a motivating factor behind the publication by the firm Goupil of a photogravure of The Smithy by Sharples from an as yet unidentified source.
Sharples was a blacksmith and self-taught artist who lived in Blackburn, Lancashire. His significance to art history and the history of the working class lies in his being a manual worker resident outside London whose artistic output attracted the notice and admiration of the London art establishment.
Sharples was not trained in the techniques of reproductive printmaking and reputedly made the tools for his printmaking himself. The practice of a craftsman making his own tools was standard in many trades. That in this instance the tools were for the making of a fine art object reflects the unique nature of this project which unitied art and manufacturing. The plate for this print is in the collection of Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.
Sharples was a blacksmith and self-taught artist who lived in Blackburn, Lancashire. His significance to art history and the history of the working class lies in his being a manual worker resident outside London whose artistic output attracted the notice and admiration of the London art establishment.
Sharples was not trained in the techniques of reproductive printmaking and reputedly made the tools for his printmaking himself. The practice of a craftsman making his own tools was standard in many trades. That in this instance the tools were for the making of a fine art object reflects the unique nature of this project which unitied art and manufacturing. The plate for this print is in the collection of Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Smithy (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Photogravure india proof |
| Brief description | Photogravure. Printed in Paris by Goupil from a print by James Sharples. The Smithy, 1894. |
| Physical description | Interior of a smithy with furnace and shovels in the back left corner, five men and a boy working in the centre beneath a central hanging light and two more men working in the background. On the right wall are tools, also two arched glazed windows and a small square unglazed and open window high up in the centre. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Marion Sharples, the artist's grand-daughter |
| Object history | Provenance: the artist's grand-daughter by descent. R.P. No. 93/1031 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | James Sharples was working outside the London print trade in publishing his print The Forge. The acclaim that he received for that print must have been a motivating factor behind the publication by the firm Goupil of a photogravure of The Smithy by Sharples from an as yet unidentified source. Sharples was a blacksmith and self-taught artist who lived in Blackburn, Lancashire. His significance to art history and the history of the working class lies in his being a manual worker resident outside London whose artistic output attracted the notice and admiration of the London art establishment. Sharples was not trained in the techniques of reproductive printmaking and reputedly made the tools for his printmaking himself. The practice of a craftsman making his own tools was standard in many trades. That in this instance the tools were for the making of a fine art object reflects the unique nature of this project which unitied art and manufacturing. The plate for this print is in the collection of Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery. |
| Bibliographic reference | Baron, J. James Sharples: Blacksmith and Artist. London, 1893, p.50-53 (illus). |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.669-1993 |
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| Record created | March 20, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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