[printfriendly current='yes']

Analyzing a Coal Mining Labor Photograph

In 1946, Russell Lee took photographs for a federal government survey of medical, health, and housing conditions in coal communities. Located in remote areas and patrolled by mine company guards during times of labor unrest, coal communities were normally inaccessible to outsiders. But government seizure of the mines from private operators gave Lee an unprecedented view into coal fields from Pennsylvania to Wyoming. Russell Lee took more than 2,000 photographs of the miners in their homes, workplaces, and communities. These images are rich sources of historical information.

Please Note: Activities may not be optimized on mobile devices. For the best experience, complete the activity on a desktop or laptop.

View the full activity: https://docsteach.org/activity/analyzing-a-coal-mining-labor-photograph/

Russell Lee’s caption for this photograph was: “Miners checking in at the lamp house at completion of morning shift. Koppers Coal Division, Kopperston Mines, Kopperston, Wyoming County, West Virginia.”

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Meet the photo

What do you see?

Is the photo?

Black and White

Color

Is there a caption?

Yes

If so, what does the caption tell you?

Observe its parts

What you see in the photo.

People

Objects

Both

What are the people doing in the photo?

What are the objects used for in the photo?

Write two words that describe the photo.

Try to make sense of it

Who do you think took this photo?

Where do you think this photo was taken?

List something that helps you prove where it was taken.

Why do you think the photo was taken?

How does this photo compare to modern times?

Use it as historical evidence

Where do you think you could find out more information about the people or objects in the photo?

When you're done

I’m taking pictures of the history of today. —Russell Lee

Fellow Farm Security Administration photographer Dorothea Lange called Russell Lee the “great cataloguer.” His supervisor on the New Deal FSA project Roy Stryker described how Russell’s honesty, forthrightness, sympathy and warmth created photographs that seemed to say “Now here is a fellow who is having a hard time but with a little help he’s going to be all right.”

Explain how the scene shown in the photograph might have impacted Russell Lee (the impression it made on him). What emotions do you think he was feeling?
What did he focus on – what parts of the scene impacted him most?
What impression did Russell Lee want the photo to make on those who saw it? Why do you think that? Explain.

Name(Required)

From (My Name)(Required)

To (My Teacher's Email)

My Assigned Group

New Group Name

Enter Your Response(Required)

Interactive Data

To the extent possible under law, National Archives Foundation has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to “Analyzing a Coal Mining Labor Photograph”

Meet the photo

Observe its parts

Try to make sense of it

Use it as historical evidence

When you're done

Explore Primary Sources

Discover Activities

Create Activities