Thornton Dial (1928-2016)

Philip Simmons (1912-2009), a blacksmith from the Charleston area, received widespread renown and critical acclaim as a master in decorative wrought iron works over the course of his eight-decade career. In this drawing Dial commemorates Simmons, a prominent African American artisan, by depicting the artist with the masterful Snake Gate, a well-known Simmons work created for Charleston's Christopher Gadsden House.