AN ENGRAVING OF A MACHINE SHOP.

Enlarge this engraving (by clicking on it) and examine it at your leisure.

Dr. Boli has only two questions for you about this picture:

1. Could any photograph ever give us such an attractive and romantic impression of a machine shop?

2. In the lower right, is that a graveyard of machinists who died in horrible accidents?

. 11 comments.

Comments

  1. RepubAnon says:
    March 24, 2015 at 6:18 am

    Are the three white dots near the top center flying saucers?

    I’d guess the gravestones show the employees who have been allowed to take their first (and only) break.

    Reply
  2. Jason Gilbert says:
    March 24, 2015 at 8:19 am

    Dr. Boli might enjoy “From Icon to Irony.” It is a photography exhibition that looks at the shift in industrial photography from beautiful images of our glorious industrial utopia of the early 20th century to beautiful images of our soul-less industrial distopia of the latter 20th century.

    http://www.amazon.com/From-Icon-Irony-Industrial-Photography/dp/1881450066

    Reply
  3. Joseph Moore says:
    March 24, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    1. I like that kid in the foreground is employing a stick and the wrought iron fence as they are meant to be employed;

    2. in the upper center, there appears to be a rig for hanging – cattle? Horses? If not, what’s with the halter?

    Reply
    • chris speaks says:
      March 24, 2015 at 3:47 pm

      Sir,

      2. For cattle, yes: it warns that the owner is lactose-intolerant.

      Chris

      Reply
    • markm says:
      March 25, 2015 at 9:20 am

      I think it’s a hoist to lift heavy objects to the top floor.

      Reply
      • chris speaks says:
        March 25, 2015 at 4:35 pm

        To speak seriously, that seems right, but it’s odd a general-purpose haul would look like an old horse-collar, and hard to imagine being used to haul horses straight up the bulding. A block and tackle with a big hook seems more likely – to my inexperienced eye, that is.

        chris

        Reply
        • rafinlay says:
          March 26, 2015 at 9:32 am

          I believe that is a double hook arrangement. You place a box or bale between the jaws and, when you hoist up on the device, the jaws ‘naturally’ close around the box/bale so you can lift it to the upper floor.

          Reply
          • Joseph Moore says:
            March 26, 2015 at 1:47 pm

            What fun is that? I can imagine a boring old crate or hay bale(?) being hoisted in an utterly mundane and perfectly practical manner, or I can imagine a confused and worried cart horse or a seriously baffled cow dangling 3 stories up for goodness knows what mysterious purpose.

            This being Dr. Boli’s Magazine, the former case would most likely never be discussed, while one of his stable of curious characters could no doubt appear in a short story or at least a radio program script in order to investigate the latter.

            It’s the spirit of the thing, darn it!

          • Joseph Moore says:
            March 26, 2015 at 1:58 pm

            Heck, it could even be tied in with the headstones:

            “Here lies Bessy, who hemmed when she should have hawed.
            Now she’s in Cow Heaven, meeting her milky God.”

            The engraving could show a cow launching itself off that third story landing while a couple guys extend their arms in horror.

  4. Horace Jeffery Hodges says:
    March 26, 2015 at 3:34 pm

    I was going to post a comment, but since it would just disappear beneath nine earlier comments, I’ll not post this time.

    Jeffery Hodges

    * * *

    Reply
  5. some guy on the street says:
    March 26, 2015 at 11:29 pm

    I suspect the “graveyard” may be a combined display of Type samples (for the press manufactory) and arcane machines (as produced/worked in the machine shop)

    Reply

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