Machinist
Emma Stebbins
c. 1859
Emma
Stebbins’s
subject
here
is
a
modern
one:
an
industrial
worker
and
his
young
apprentice
.
Having
studied
Classical
art,
Stebbins
applied
its
vocabulary
and
material
to
new
ends.
The
harmonious,
balanced
forms
depict
contemporary
men
engaged
in
skilled
pursuits
that
wed
intellect
and
physical
labor.
Like
many
19th-century
American
artists,
Stebbins,
born
in
New
York,
sought
greater
opportunity
abroad,
connecting
with
a
community
of
female
sculptors
in
Rome
in
the
late
1850s.
Denied
access
to
life
drawing
classes
in
the
United
States,
she
learned
to
model
the
human
form
from
the
art
around
her
in
Europe
and
from
a
receptive
circle
of
artists.
| Title | Machinist |
|---|---|
| Artist | Emma Stebbins |
| Date | c. 1859 |
| Medium | Marble |
| Style | Realism |
| Dimensions | 74.9 × 29.2 × 29.2 cm (29 1/2 × 11 1/2 × 11 1/2 in.) |