Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2012.

The Scissors Grinder

Artist William Henry Burr (American, 1819 - 1908)

Date1856

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions23 7/8 x 19 3/4 in. (60.6 x 50.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 31 x 27 x 3 1/2 in. (78.7 x 68.6 x 8.9 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds provided by Joan and Macon Brock, David and Susan Goode, the Christiane and James Valone Charitable Fund, the Fannie, Milton and Leslie Friedman Foundation, Leah and Richard Waitzer, Douglas and Marianne Dickerson, Shirley and Dick Roberts, Angelica and Henry Light, and John and Kate Broderick

Object number2011.11

On View

On view

DescriptionThis is a painting of a man and a boy standing on the sidewalk with an upright grinding wheel. The boy stands at the side of the wheel holding a bell. The man is grinding the blade of a pair of scissors. A dog sniffs at the base of the grinder.
Label TextWilliam Henry Burr American, 1819–1908 The Scissors Grinder, 1856 Oil on canvas Graffiti, litter, and clothing details bring the streets of New York to life in William Henry Burr’s Scissors Grinder. Imagine the screech of the blade against the portable, foot-powered whetstone. A boy and dog watch with curiosity, admiring the grinder’s industrious work ethic—he literally embodies the expression “nose to the grindstone.” In the 1850s, most itinerant tradesmen in America’s cities were recent Irish or German immigrants. By giving dignity to a despised and demanding profession, this painting encourages sympathy for the grinder and other victims of poverty and ethnic discrimination. Museum purchase with funds provided by Joan and Macon Brock, David and Susan Goode, the Christiane and James Valone Charitable Fund, the Fannie, Milton and Leslie Friedman Foundation, Leah and Richard Waitzer, Douglas and Marianne Dickerson, Shirley and Dick Roberts, Angelica and Henry Light, and John and Kate Broderick 2011.11