Industry and Work in the West

SACRAMENTO, EARLY IN 1849—FRONT, BETWEEN I AND J STREETS AND VIEW OF SAN FRANCISCO, N.D.
Unknown printer
Chromolithograph, 8 3/4 x 7 1/4 in. Crocker Art Museum, gift of the Peter T. Pope Early California Collection, 2019.74.86.

OBJECTIVE:

Students will examine works of art from the past to investigate and understand how industry has affected rivers and coastlines. They will understand how an artist’s composition represents an idea from the past that we can now gather information from. Which we can interpret and draw conclusions from.

Artwork:

Paul Sample American, 1896 – 1974 Port of Stockton circa 1936 – 1937 Oil on canvas Crocker Art Museum Purchase with funds from Denise and Donald C. Timmons; the Rose Huckins Memorial Fund; the F. M. Rowles Fund; Simon K. Chiu; Board of Port Commissioners, Stockton Port District; Brian Cameron and William Snider; David Gibson and William Ishmael; Sandra L. Jones; Pam Saltenberger; the Richard F. and Joan Gann Fund; the George and Bea Gibson Fund; the Stephen and Edith Brandenberger Fund; and others. 2016.51

John Langley Howard 

American, 1902–1999

THE ANCHOR BLOCK

1938

Oil on canvas

Crocker Art Museum Purchase with contributions from John Darling by exchange, 2016.44

Vocabulary

Industrialism:  a social or economic system built on manufacturing industries

Discussion

Context: 

Instruct students that industrialism impacted the geography of the west and California’s waterways. As many natural resources were being sent back east & around the world. As a result the landscape and natural waterways were changed with the increasing amount of commercial shipping in the west. 

Method:  Building on the overarching standard and prior knowledge of HSS 3.1 an understanding of the basic geography of the state. Introduce the following three images to guide the discussion:

1. Sacramento, Early in 1849- Front, Between  I and J Streets  & View of San Francisco
2. Port of Stockton, 1936-37 Paul Sample
3. The Anchor Blocks, 1938 John Langley Howard (extension) 

Task: Teacher utilizes Artful Thinking strategies to encourage students to see, think and wonder about artworks, recording their responses on an anchor chart. 

Teacher guided inquiry for each piece

• What do we see in this piece of artwork?  

(Scaffold inquiry)

• • What is in the foreground? Background? Middle ground?
  • What era does the image represent? How do you know?

• What do you think about what you see? 

(Scaffold inquiry)

• • What is happening in the image?
  • What do you think are on those ships?
  • What do you think the water way looked like prior to this?

• What do you wonder?
  • What do you still wonder about the piece?

Noteworthy differences: change in ship types / size observed in each time period, ports and buildings modifying waterways. Lack of representation of individuals, but evidence of living, working and developing the regions.

Process

Have students read through the anchor charts, as teacher circles comparing  aspects of the two works of art.  Arriving at the understanding that through examining artworks that represent the past we can view how industry has modified  our waterways and landscape. 

Extension: Add The Anchor Blocks, 1938 John Langley Howard into the conversation as a way to examine how  people in these boats may have experienced the waterways of the region

Materials

• None