Essay Database

The Miner's Wives by Ben Shahn takes a bitter look at one of the lifestyles of the early 20th century - that of the down-trodden coal miner. In the foreground of the picture, we see the miner's wife referenced in the title. She carries a bleak expression, her back turned to an older woman and a child, presumably her mother and her offspring. Two men walk away into the distance, and one set of clothing …

…limited opportunity often forced one generation after the next into the mine, and many families died generation after generation, either in the mine or from the mine, with diseases like black lung. Shahn makes a bold statement about how much the mining industry cost for those who went down into the mines every day. His characters appear placid, but they speak volumes about the lifestyle endured by not just the miners, but also their families.