Adventures in Art History Art Adventures    

Lesson 26: The Young Sabot Maker

by Henry Ossawa Tanner

Directions

Study the painting for one week.

Over the week:

• Look at the painting.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Read about the artist.
• Practice reciting the names of the artist and the painting.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Sabots are shoes constructed from a single block of wood. They were often worn by peasants in France and Britain between the 16th to 19th centuries. In 'The Young Sabot Maker,' Tanner shows a man teaching his apprentice how to construct the wooden shoes. The hardworking apprentice hollows out one of two wooden shoes propped up on a homemade table made of branches and a log, while the master looks on from the corner of the workshop. Additional shoes and countless wooden shavings litter the floor beneath. Shoes are everywhere, hanging from the ceiling and stacked against the wall.

Vocabulary

Sabot: Shoes constructed from a single block of wood.
Peasant: A poor farmer who owns or rents a small piece of land for growing food or other crops.
Hollow: Having a hole or empty space inside.
Apprentice: A person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer.
Workshop: A room or building in which goods are manufactured or repaired.

Concepts

Henry Ossawa Tanner painted 'The Young Sabot Maker.'

1. Henry Ossawa Tanner was born in 1859 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. See his picture below.

2. Find Tanner's state of birth (PA) on the map of the continental United States below.

3. His father was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. His mother was born a slave, but escaped through the Underground Railroad to the North.
4. He studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he was the only black student. As a painter, Tanner was considered a realist, painting things as they are collectively perceived.
5. Tanner suffered mental anguish from the racism he experienced in America, which he described in his autobiography. Consequently, he left America for Paris, France, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Find France on the map of Europe below.

6. He died in 1937 in Paris, France at the age of 77.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

During the week, study the painting and find the following:

• Master
• Apprentice
• Shoes
• Homemade Table
• Shovel
• Log
• Branches
• Wooden Shavings
• Workshop

Activity 2: Narrate the Painting

• After studying the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Complete Vocabulary Activities

• While studying the vocabulary words, point them out in the painting.
• Define each of the vocabulary words in your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Painting   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 34 of 'Kindergarten Art History Coloring Book.'

Review

Question 1

Who are the characters in the painting?

1 / 5

Answer 1

A sabot maker and his young apprentice.

1 / 5

Question 2

What is the sabot maker doing?

2 / 5

Answer 2

Watching his apprentice work.

2 / 5

Question 3

What is the apprentice doing?

3 / 5

Answer 3

Hollowing out a wooden shoe.

3 / 5

Question 4

What is the setting of the painting?

4 / 5

Answer 4

A workshop.

4 / 5

Question 5

How many wooden shoes do you see in the painting?

5 / 5

Answer 5

It's hard to tell, but certainly more than a dozen.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the painting? A sabot maker and his young apprentice.
2. What is the sabot maker doing? Watching his apprentice work.
3. What is the apprentice doing? Hollowing out a wooden shoe.
4. What is the setting of the painting? A workshop.
5. How many wooden shoes do you see in the painting? It's hard to tell, but certainly more than a dozen.

References

'Henry Ossawa Tanner.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.