In the Valley of Wyoming, Pennsylvania (Interior of a Coal Mine, Susquehanna)

1852
Not on view
This is one of two drawings (see also 1974.197.3) Richards executed as designs for wood-engraved illustrations to accompany an article he wrote for “Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,” published in October 1853. Like John Hazelhurst Latrobe, who had visited the area earlier, Richards made scenic views of the Susquehanna River region, but here he depicted mining activity in the coal-rich Wyoming Valley of the Susquehanna. The glowing lights in the two drawings are probably candles affixed to the miners’ headgear, which sometimes induced explosions.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: In the Valley of Wyoming, Pennsylvania (Interior of a Coal Mine, Susquehanna)
  • Artist: Thomas Addison Richards (1820–1900)
  • Date: 1852
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Graphite and white chalk on light brown wove paper
  • Dimensions: 5 1/2 x 8 3/8 in. (14 x 21.3 cm)
  • Credit Line: Morris K. Jesup Fund, 1974
  • Object Number: 1974.197.4
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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