The Young Mechanic

Allen Smith, Jr. (American, 1810-1890) The Young Mechanic, 1848 Oil on canvas
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
Gift of the American Art Council and Mr. and Mrs. J. Douglas Pardee

Smith brought to Cleveland a New York City-cultivated talent for making genre scenes. This kind of figure painting often explored current social problems, as in the work of more famous artists of the day like William Sidney Mount (1807-1868). A democratic political bias structures Smiths depiction of an ongoing negotiation between boys of different ranks. While the well-dressed boy with a miniature boat occupies a superior position in terms of wealth, the composition declares that the boys depend on one another by allotting half the picture space to each. Clearly, the wealthy boy is the one who has had to pay a visit to the poor, barefoot worker, and must rely upon his talents and good will to get anything done.