Blacksmith - The apprenticeship 1897 Business Card

Colorized photo from 1897 Original title: Two men working in blacksmith shop and boy watching Photographer: Witteman Location: Ohio If you want to work in a trade, you have to start at the very bottom. Fetching water, getting coal, working the bellows, etc. All the while watching them do their craft. You learn little by little, eventually you are trusted to hold the hammer, they will let you make nails. Really boring but totally needed nails. Eventually you will be running that shop. However in the mean time, you will learn how hot and sharp metal is because you are barefoot. Being barefoot in any kind of workshop is a bad idea, its much worse to be working near hot metal. But this is how you learn. The child is far enough away which tells me he probably stepped on something at some point. And they seem to have a ramp going to the door to keep most of the mess local. But if you want to apprentice in a blacksmith shop, remember this, wear shoes.