This might be my favorite example of "naked blacksmiths" depicted in art. The truth, however, is that they are not blacksmiths. They are "Mechanics" using a giant punch press. The statue is called "The Mechanics Monument". It was created by Douglas Tilden, and installed in San Francisco in 1899. In the 1906 earthquake the city was virtually destroyed around it. The Monument was relocated in 1951, and again in 1973. I believe it sits today at the corners of Bush, Battery, and Market Streets, in S.F. The statue is 180" X 108" X108", weighing 10 tons. The base is in two stages 132" X 132" square, and weighs 30 tons. It is, in my opinion, one of his finest works. The dramatic view of the monument, taken after the 1906 quake, surrounded by the destroyed city is truly amazing.
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