Scenes of a trade: charcoal burners. Woodcut, 1500 or 01. From Les Ordonnances de Paris. A charcoal burner's job was a humble one, but one that in pre industrial society was extremely important. For centuries many trades depended on charcoal as their main source of fuel. Iron working, blacksmithing, brick making, glass making, foundry work such as casting bells and cannons, gold and silversmithing, all used huge quantities of charcoal. This image has been colorized.