Henry Ossawa Tanner, Study for the Young Sabot Maker, ca. 1895, oil on canvas, 16 1⁄4 x 13 in. (41.3 x 33.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.208
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Study for the Young Sabot Maker
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1895
- Location
- Dimensions
- 16 1⁄4 x 13 in. (41.3 x 33.0 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on canvas
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Figure group — male and child
- Figure male — child
- Occupation — craft — shoemaker
- Object Number
- 1983.95.208
Artwork Description
After Henry Ossawa Tanner moved to France in 1891, he spent a few summers in Pont-Aven and Concarneau, where wooden shoes called sabots were common. This study shows a young student learning the trade from his teacher, a frequent theme in Tanner’s early work. In the final painting the young sabot-maker is not French but African American, reflecting Tanner’s own racial heritage. The Young Sabot Maker was his second painting to be accepted by the annual Paris exhibition, a coveted sign of official recognition from the French art establishment.
