Lyle Tayson (American, 1924 - 2014) "Wheelwright/Craftsmen" Signed lower left. Original Oil painting on Canvas. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting is the original painting which appeared on on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 13c Wheelwright stamp issue of July 4, 1977. In Colonial times, everything a man couldn't carry on his back moved on wheels or by boat. Consequently, Colonial commerce depended heavily on wagons. Good Wheelwrights were much in demand. Lasting quality in both design and function was a great measure of a craftsman's skill. Wheelwrights whose work didn't last faced ridicule, loss of trade, and financial disaster. For example, a broken wagon wheel could cause a certain amount of inconvenience. But a carriage wheel breaking at a gallop might cripple or kill someone. During the Revolution, Wheelwrights were so important they often were permanently attached to military units to repair wheels broken by rough use or enemy fire. Soldiers' lives literally hung on their skill. A cannon that couldn't be moved into position promptly because of a faulty wheel wasn't worth very much. As shown in the artwork, the Colonial wheel was not a flat disc but rather was shaped like a dish -- with the hub, spokes, and rim forming a shallow cone. To make it -- and to build it well Wheelwrights chose their woods with special care. Some liked gum for the hubs. Others preferred white oak or hickory for spokes and fellies -- the outer rims. And after it was chosen, two full years of seasoning was a minimum time to ensure that the wood would take the jolts of swamp roads and frozen ruts that commerce and cannon would follow. Image Size: 25.75 x 21.5 in. Overall Size: 30 x 24 in. Unframed. (B05138)