Crowther & Brayley, auction, November 20, 2010, lot 560
Private Collection, Toronto
Literature
Lance Woolaver, The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis, The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, 1995, page 8, a similar version of this composition illustrated page 9
A composition not encountered as often as many of Maud Lewis’ serial images, “The Blacksmith Shop” subject held a loving nostalgic affinity for the Nova Scotia painter. Lewis’ father, Jack Dowley, was a blacksmith and harness maker, opening his store upon the family’s move to Yarmouth in 1914. Dowley’s shop was “a prosperous little business, like others in the neighbourhood… When the gasoline engine became king, he adapted his trade from harness making to other forms of leather work – the repair of leather or canvas goods – a lady’s handbag, a sailor’s duffel, a traveller’s grip.” Central to many of Maud Lewis’ engaging scenes, a personal history drives “The Blacksmith Shop”, the painter’s memory of her father, working within the brightly-coloured shed, a connection to happy childhood memories.
