Branding Iron c. 1942

Elizabeth Johnson created this watercolor of a branding iron, documenting a tool deeply embedded in the history of labor and ownership. The iron itself is a crude but effective piece of blacksmithing, twisted and hammered from a length of steel. Its form is determined entirely by function: the shape of the brand it would leave on a cow’s hide. This was how cattlemen literally made their mark, asserting property rights in a vast, often lawless landscape. The branding iron speaks to a complex interplay of humans and animals, and the economics that linked them. Johnson’s choice to depict this object elevates it from a utilitarian object to a symbol of work, value, and control. The original iron would have required physical labor and technical skill to forge, and of course, the labor of cattle farming. The brand, a visual shorthand for ownership, represents an entire world of making and trading. Considering its materials and context, this watercolor challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.