The Smith, Passage du Dragon 1894

James Abbott McNeill Whistler made this lithograph, "The Smith, Passage du Dragon", using ink on paper. Whistler was an American artist living in London, but this print depicts a Parisian metalworker. In the 19th century, Paris was undergoing rapid industrialization that transformed the landscape of work for many people. Whistler seems interested in capturing the older trades that were slowly being replaced by industry. The print's dark tones and focus on the artisan at work hint at a cultural anxiety over the changing landscape of labor. The print is not explicitly political, yet we can read it as a social commentary. Through close visual analysis and research into the economic history of France at the time, we can come to understand how Whistler's image responds to the conditions of its time.