Photograph of Craftsmen Annealing Copper

Craftsmen Annealing Copper

Attributed to Pierre Petit
ca. 1881 – 1884

Craftsmen “annealed,” or heated and softened, copper sheets in a forge. They then laid the sheets onto wooden molds and used heavy mallets to forcefully shape the metal around their curves.

Museum Bartholdi Colmar - Reproduction © C. Kempf, 2P14-32