Artwork
Pat Lyon at the Forge
Pat Lyon at the Forge is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist John Neagle. It dates from 1826 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents Lyon not merely as a laborer but as a figure of dignity and intellectual capability, challenging contemporary class distinctions.
John Neagle's 1826 oil painting depicts the Philadelphia mechanic and inventor Pat Lyon standing before his forge, surrounded by the tools of his trade, including an anvil. The composition presents Lyon not merely as a laborer but as a figure of dignity and intellectual capability, challenging contemporary class distinctions. By placing the subject in his workshop rather than a formal setting, the work celebrates the virtue of skilled manual labor and the American ideal of self-made success.
The inclusion of the smithy and anvil serves as iconography for industry and practical ingenuity, grounding the portrait in the reality of Lyon's profession while elevating his status within the early Republic.
Technique & Style
John Neagle executed Pat Lyon at the Forge in 1826 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work is a large-scale painting, measuring approximately 238.12 cm in height and 172.72 cm in width. Stylistically, the composition focuses on the depiction of a blacksmith within a smithy setting, prominently featuring an anvil as a central element of the forge environment.
The piece is classified as a painting and remains part of the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
History & Provenance
Pat Lyon at the Forge is held by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
It entered the museum's collection in 1826 under its original inventory number.
The work has been exhibited in the museum's American paintings galleries since its acquisition.
Overview
John Neagle, an early‑19th‑century portraitist from Philadelphia, painted Pat Lyon at the Forge in 1826. Executed in oil on canvas, the work belongs to the American folk‑art tradition and is now part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Neagle (November 4, 1796 – September 17, 1865) was a fashionable American painter, primarily of portraits, during the first half of the 19th century in Philadelphia.
