Furrier / Pipe Smoker

Art Historical Context

Virginia Granbery's *Furrier / Pipe Sm* (ca. 1857) is a charming wood engraving working proof that captures everyday life in mid-19-century America. Created as a gift to the Metropolitan Museum of by J. H. Granbery in 1944, this intimate print measures just 3½ × 8⅜ inches, highlighting the precision required in such small-scale works. Granbery, a lesser-known female artist active during a time when women in printmaking were rare, drew from urban scenes, evoking the tradespeople and leisurely moments of the era. Wood engraving, the medium here, involved carving fine lines into the end-grain of a hardwood block, allowing for intricate details and high-quality reproductions ideal for books and periodicals. As a "working proof," this impression reveals the iterative process: early stages of inking and printing before final refinements, offering museum visitors a rare glimpse into an artist's technical experimentation. This technique boomed in the 1850s with the rise of illustrated journalism, bridging fine art and mass media. Culturally, the dual title suggests a furrier at work or rest with his pipe, reflecting Victorian-era trades and simple pleasures amid industrial growth. Granbery's piece reminds us of overlooked women contributors to American graphic arts, preserving a slice of pre-Civil War daily life with delicate, narrative charm.

About the Artist

Virginia Granbery · 1831–1921

American, Norfolk, Virginia 1831–1921