![Etching of man walking on girder over a cityscape](https://wam.org//wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1984.49-1-800x1018.jpg)
Spider Boy
Allen, James E.
1937
Artwork Information
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Title:
Spider Boy
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Artist:
Allen, James E.
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Artist Bio:
American, 1894–1964
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Date:
1937
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Medium:
Etching
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Dimensions:
11 x 8 1/2 inches
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Credit Line:
Wichita Art Museum, Museum purchase, Director's Discretionary Fund
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Object Number:
1984.49
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Display:
Not Currently on Display
About the Artwork
Sociologist and documentary photographer Lewis Hine famously said that “cities do not build themselves and machines cannot make machines, unless [at the] back of them are all the brains and toils of men.” In Spider Boy, James Allen showcases the daring, dangerous work needed to build a skyscraper. A construction worker—wearing protective gloves, a cap, and a bag over his shoulder—walks nonchalantly on a steal I-beam with the city’s rooftops stretched out hundreds of yards below him. The worker’s relaxed smile and loose posture speaks to his extraordinary comfort in a shockingly dangerous environment, reminding viewers of the remarkable workers needed to make remarkable structures.