Samuel Yellin

Samuel Yellin (1885-1940) is undisputedly the most important American blacksmith of the first half of the 20th century. He was born in 1885 Galicia, Poland, to Jewish parents Zacharis and Kate Yellin. At the age of 12 he was apprenticed to a local blacksmith. He would complete his apprenticeship fairly quickly and travel as a journeyman in Germany, Belgium, and England before immigrating to Philadelphia in 1906. Early on Yellin taught at the Pennsylvania Museum School and he opened his first shop in 1909 at the age of 24. Yellin was exceptionally gifted as an ironwork designer, skilled technical craftsman, historian, and publicist. This constellation of attributes led to his incredible success. Yellin prolifically executed commissions for public, private, and institutional clients from New York to San Francisco. Just a few short years after incorporating he had produced works for the likes of J.P. Morgan, Henry Clay Frick, and Cyrus Curtis.