Preparing a shoe in Hardhills smithy

  Blacksmith Tom Anderson preparing a shoe in Hardhills smithy, Castle Douglas. Dr Werner Kissling, 1959. This photograph shows blacksmith Tom Anderson preparing a horse shoe, watched by his apprentice.   At the time this photograph was taken, blacksmiths bought premade shoes from factories and shaped them to exactly fit the horse they were shoeing. In this photograph, Tom Anderson is finishing off pre-stamped holes in the shoe with a hammer and pritchel.   The apprentice is watching from beside the forge where he is heating tools. Beside him is the cooling trough. Hot tools were put into cold water to cool down.   Dr Werner Kissling (1895-1988) was a German photographer and ethnographer who spent most of his life documenting Scottish crafts, architecture, and agricultural practices. He was associated with Dumfries Museum from the mid-1950s until his death in 1988.   With thanks to the School of Scottish Studies Archives for additional information.