Filling the Ice House

Harry Gottlieb, Filling the Ice House, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.19
Harry Gottlieb, Filling the Ice House, 1934, oil on canvas, 40 3⁄8 x 60 3⁄8 in. (102.5 x 153.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.19

Artwork Details

Title
Filling the Ice House
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
40 3⁄8 x 60 3⁄8 in. (102.5 x 153.4 cm)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — male
  • Occupation — industry — ice cutting
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York State
Object Number
1964.1.19
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.19

Artwork Description

As workers like these knew well, it was cold, hard work filling the icehouses of upstate New York. In January 1934, artist Harry Gottlieb signed on with the PWAP and looked for American workers he could paint near his home in the artists' colony of Woodstock, New York. He found these men harvesting ice off lakes and streams as local men had done every winter since the early 1800s. They sawed the thick layer of natural ice into long strips and then cut off large blocks. As Gottlieb's painting shows, the red-faced workers dressed in warm coats used long hooks and wooden ramps to maneuver the slick, heavy ice into large commercial icehouses where they neatly stacked the blocks. Straw or sawdust packing minimized melting in warm weather. Throughout the year icehouses along the Hudson River stored ice that was shipped by train to New York City. Families and grocers put the ice into insulated iceboxes that kept food from spoiling. Artificial freezing dominated ice production after World War I, and then electric refrigerators became popular. When Gottlieb documented the natural ice business it was gradually melting away.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Works by this artist (6 items)

View all artworks
Mineo Mizuno, Teardrop Plate, 1980, earthenware, stains, and glaze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Stephen Neal Dennis in memory of Walter Reece Dennis, 1997.106.2, ©1980 Mineo Mizuno
Teardrop Plate
Artist
Date1980
earthenware, stains, and glaze
Not on view
Mineo Mizuno, Cup and Saucer, 1980, earthenware, stains, and glaze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donna and John Donaldson in memory of Jean and John Michael on the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 1997.109.10A-B
Cup and Saucer
Artist
Date1980
earthenware, stains, and glaze
Not on view
Mineo Mizuno, Square Bowl, 1980, earthenware, stains, and glaze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donna and John Donaldson in memory of Jean and John Michael on the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 1997.109.12
Square Bowl
Artist
Date1980
earthenware, stains, and glaze
Not on view
Mineo Mizuno, Cup and Saucer, 1980, earthenware, stains, and glaze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donna and John Donaldson in memory of Jean and John Michael on the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 1997.109.11A-B
Cup and Saucer
Artist
Date1980
earthenware, stains, and glaze
Not on view

Related Books

1934_500.jpg
1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Unidentified, William H. Johnson, Female Nude Lying on Side, ca. 1939-1940, recto: tempera on paper verso: pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.235R-V
Female Nude Lying on Side
Artist
Dateca. 1939-1940
recto: tempera on paper verso: pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Standing Woman in Red Bathing Suit, ca. 1939-1940, tempera and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.260
Standing Woman in Red Bathing Suit
Artist
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera and pencil on paper
Not on view
Unidentified (American), William H. Johnson, Semi-Reclining Female Nude, ca. 1939-1940, recto: tempera on paper verso: tempera and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.261R-V
Semi-Reclining Female Nude
Artist
William H. Johnson
Unidentified (American)
Dateca. 1939-1940
recto: tempera on paper verso: tempera and pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Farm Sketch--Plowing, ca. 1940-1941, tempera and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.481R-V
Farm Sketch – Plowing
Artist
Dateca. 1940-1941
tempera and pencil on paper
Not on view