Lyle Tayson: Wheelwright/Craftsmen

Artist: Lyle Tayson
1924 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1977
Image Size: 21.5 by 25.75 inches
Overall Size: 24 by 30 inches
Medium: Oil on Canvas

In Colonial times, everything a man couldn't carry on his back moved on wheels or by boat. Consequently, Colonial commerce depended heavily on wagons. Good Wheelwrights were much in demand. Lasting quality in both design and function was a great measure of a craftsman's skill. Wheelwrights whose work didn't last faced ridicule, loss of trade, and financial disaster. For example, a broken wagon wheel could cause a certain amount of inconvenience. But a carriage wheel breaking at a gallop might cripple or kill someone. During the Revolution, Wheelwrights were so important they often were permanently attached to military units to repair wheels broken by rough use or enemy fire. Soldiers' lives literally hung on their skill. A cannon that couldn't be moved into position promptly because of a faulty wheel wasn't worth very much. As shown in the artwork, the Colonial wheel was not a flat disc but rather was shaped like a dish -- with the hub, spokes, and rim forming a shallow cone. To make it -- and to build it well Wheelwrights chose their woods with special care. Some liked gum for the hubs. Others preferred white oak or hickory for spokes and fellies -- the outer rims. And after it was chosen, two full years of seasoning was a minimum time to ensure that the wood would take the jolts of swamp roads and frozen ruts that commerce and cannon would follow.

This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover for the U.S. 13¢ Wheelwright stamp issue of July 4, 1977.

Artwork Copyright © 1977 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB05138

US$ Price: $1,000.00

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