Charles Frederic Ulrich was known for his small paintings of artisans at work. The Glass Engraver is a picturesque celebration of a craftsman, using a copper wheel technique, that hearkens back to an earlier time. Ulrich focused on the skills of an individual artisan in the face of mechanized mass production. Further, Ulrich’s attention to minute details may have seemed outdated compared to the more modern painting styles gaining popularity at the time.