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 Black metal - iron - was first known as an object of beauty. Egyptian tombs have revealed jewelry made from meteoric iron, no doubt treasured for its rarity. The Hittites are thought to have been the first to actually produce iron from its ore about 1400 BC. Iron swords, spearheads, knives and axes quickly proved superior to the previous bronze weapons and tools, ensuring the rapid spread of ironworking techniques across the lands through trade or war. Through the ages iron, and so the blacksmith, continued as the key to civilization. The blacksmith made by hand, one at a time, the thousands of metal objects that made up the equipment of life. Farmers, other craftsmen, householders, merchants and armies depended on him for nails, hammers, chisels, axes, sickles, wedges, hinges, door latches, hooks, cranes and andirons for fireplaces, cooking utensils, pots and kettles, wagon wheels and parts, harness hardware, shoes for horses and oxen, chain, armor and weapons. When any such item broke, it was the blacksmith who repaired it. All the while he made and maintained his own shop tools - anvils, hammers, tongs, swages and all the special tools invented for specific jobs. As the array of tools and equipment becoming available made life a little easier, the community began to appreciate the comfort and convenience of more material goods. The village blacksmith became the key to beautiful houses, supplying lighting appliances, more luxurious household fittings and decorative gates and balustrading. European cathedrals and castles in particular exhibited superbly detailed wrought ironwork through the 17th and 18th centuries. For a time, the blacksmith kept pace with increasing industrialization through skills needed in the shipyards, on the railways, and for gunsmithing and specialized tool making. Decorative wrought ironwork however began to be replaced by the less costly manufactured cast iron through the 18th century. Only the rural communities continued to rely on the skills of the village blacksmith into the first half of the 20th century. The blacksmith had flourished as a major social force for more than 2000 years, his tools and techniques needing no change. Then virtually within one generation, his once pivotal role vanished under the weight of precision, speed and output capabilities of the machinery of mass production.
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  While the demise of the village blacksmith was total, a small niche remained for custom-designed architectural work. One of the best known proponents was Polish-born Samuel Yellin who learnt his craft in Russia at the end of the 19th century. Settling in Philadelphia in 1906, Yellin used and taught ornamental ironwork techniques. His work won numerous architectural awards and can be found in many churches, universities, banks, public buildings and private estates particularly in the eastern USA. He was so well known by the 1920’s that he employed some 300 blacksmiths to carry out his commissions. The continuance of the art was due in part to such
individuals who proved that no mere machine could replicate the
artistry or capture the essential nature of blacksmithing. Then
towards the end of the 1960’s a wave of nostalgia led a revolution
of sorts away from impersonal industrialization back to the ways
of our ancestors. The old and previously forgotten and rusting forges
and anvils began to take their place alongside modern tools and
equipment now used to enhance rather than replace traditional Today’s blacksmith is once again proving to
be the source of unique ironwork that has to stand its own test
of time to become
As society became more affluent, the blacksmith
was able to incorporate artistry into his well-established work
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