About this artwork
Adhering to many of the tenets of the American Arts and Crafts movement, master ironworker Thomas F. Googerty taught blacksmithing to inmates at the Illinois State Reformatory in Pontiac for nearly four decades, where he conveyed life skills along with craftsmanship, teaching that character, like iron, could be forged and molded for the better. Simultaneously, he was an active artist, exhibiting his ornamental ironwork at such venues as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, and joining the prestigious Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston. Googerty was also the author of several manuals on forging and ornamental ironwork that remain important texts for modern metalsmithing. Included in this collection are photographs of his ironwork, pen and ink design sketches, technical sketches, and cover design sketches for one of his publications; most of these items date from the early 1900s.
Collection access:
Collections may be accessed in the Franke Reading Room of the Research Center at The Art Institute of Chicago, by appointment only. For further information, consult the FAQ.
Finding aids by subject
Browse all finding aids
Browse images and media
Oral histories
Contact the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives:
(312) 857-7676
archives@artic.edu
-
Status
- Currently Off View
-
Department
- AIC Archives
-
Artist
- Thomas Francis Googerty (Metalworker)
-
Title
- Thomas F. Googerty Collection
-
Date
- Made 1902–1909
-
Medium
- Graphite drawings, ink drawings, typescript papers and black and white photographic prints.
-
Dimensions
- 1 oversize portfolio: H.: 22.9 cm (9 in.)
-
Credit Line
- Unknown.
-
Reference Number
- 1999.2
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
