#CoalMines

[usnatarchives]

Power and Light Exhibit 💡

Immerse yourself in the Power & Light exhibit, a profound exploration of the coal miner’s life in 1946 America through the compassionate lens of Russell Lee. A master of documentary photography, Lee was tasked with an extraordinary project following labor strikes—a nationwide survey capturing the essence of remote coal communities. His photos, over 200 of which are featured in our #ArchivesPowerAndLight exhibit, shed light on the rich tapestry of everyday moments against the backdrop of a pivotal time in labor history.

Beyond documenting the gritty realities of coal mining, Lee's photographs celebrate the strength, resilience, and unity of the families that powered these communities. From pride in their homes to solidarity in the mines, every image narrates a story woven into the broader American saga.

Lee, a notable figure among the greats like Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, believed in the power of photography to create social change. He carried his camera through 13 states, into the homes and lives of those who toiled beneath the earth, and emerged with more than just images—he captured stories that continue to resonate with us today.

This exhibit invites you to traverse time and experience the power and light within this historical archive. Witness the intimate and candid moments Lee immortalized and see the enduring legacy of his work at the National Archives.

[thesehauntedhills]

8 Year old miner

[yourplaceorminedigital]

Surviving a Car Crash on Grundy Mountain in 1972: A Band's Near-Death Experience

Did I ever tell you the story about the time the band almost died in a car crashing off the side of Grundy Mountain in Virginia? Fun days for sure! It was February 1972, Super Bowl Week. I was drumming and singing with a Top 40 shiny dance band (we had rhinestone stage clothes) called Whiskey Creek; a name my bandmates stole from a country band I’d played with a few years before reasoning we…

[abwwia]

Penny Wolin, Jackalopes, Cowboys and Coalmines: A Photographic Survey of Energy Development in Wyoming, 1979, chromogenic color print, image: 83⁄4 × 121⁄4 in. (22.2 × 31.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.1889

Penny Wolin (born June 5, 1953), also known as Penny Diane Wolin and Penny Wolin-Semple, is an American portrait photographer and a visual anthropologist. She has exhibited solo at the Smithsonian Institution and is the recipient of two grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and one grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. via Wikipedia

[carlyraejepsans]

other artists have made a point of being like "stop saying you hate the pairing but like the art. it's annoying and still insulting" which is fair, but honestly every single time that's happened to me that person eventually came back to say they like them unironically now so. it doesn't even annoy me anymore, lol. oh, so you normally hate this ship? that's nice do tell me more. ignore the crosshair btw

[silverskye13]

Finally drew the Ranchers <3

[ghostshipglamour]

He’s not getting out

(Batik shadow blue 46)

[niftukkun]

far travelled messenger

are you not curious to what you carry?

like clipping a canary's feathers,

low down do these random gods fall

[acheronist]

putting on canary in a coalmine by the police. opening up john torringtons wikipedia page. scrolling to the death and autopsy portion and looking at it for hours

[mostlyinthemorning]

Screenshots from the Coalmine Theatre’s 16 Random Questions

Bonus from the “Noah doesn’t know how to wear a hat” department

[margridarnauds]

Finding out about the Netflix Dorian Gray adaptation as God intended (through horrified posts on my dash)

[usnatarchives]

The banners went up today for our new exhibit!

“Power & Light: Russell Lee’s Coal Survey” features more than 200 of Russell Lee’s photographs of coal miners and their families.

The man on the banner is Harry Fain, who was working as a coal loader for Inland Steel Company in Wheelwright, Kentucky, in 1946. He and his family appear in photographs throughout the exhibit.

“Power & Light” is free and opens to the public on March 16 in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.

Visit museum.archives.gov for details.

[creature-premium]

Save me canary in a coal mine symbolism, save me

[mythologyofblue]

A coal mine: miners at work above and below ground. Coloured lithograph.

[your-fave-isdoomedbythenarrative]

Jimmy Solidarity from The Life Series is doomed by the narrative and can't escape.

[redjaybathood]

Evacuation from Hirnyk, Donetsk region, 09.09.24

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