At the Close of the Day, Pennsylvania

January 7, 1911

Lewis Hine

Associated Names
Lewis Wickes Hine

Artist, American, 1874 - 1940

The image shows a group of miners outside the entrance of a mine. The men's full bodies are visible, with some standing and others crouching or leaning. They wear work attire typical of miners, including dark, heavy clothing suitable for labor in the mine, with some having soot on their faces, indicating their profession. Their heads are adorned with hats, some with lamps attached. Several of the men are holding metal lunch pails. The background of the image consists of a wooden structure, presumably the entrance to the mine, with a metal rail track leading into the depths. Steam or smoke is visible in the background. On the sides, there are wooden barriers that partially obstruct the view inside the mine.

Media Options

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On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery M78

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    image: 11.2 × 16.4 cm (4 7/16 × 6 7/16 in.)
    sheet: 12.7 × 17.7 cm (5 × 6 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2018.145.9

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Etherton Gallery, Tucson, AZ); (Charles Isaacs Photographs, Inc., New York), 1997; NGA purchase, 2018.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

on verso, by unknown hand, top left in black ink: 1925; top right in graphite perpendicular: N. 1925; top right in graphite: 90.2; upper left in graphite: 9-34302; upper center in graphite underlined: Beard; center left in graphite: crop and make / 5 3/4 wide; center right printed in purple ink perpendicular: National Child Labor Committee. [crossed out with graphite] / At the close of the day. Waiting for the / cage to go up. This cage is entirely open / on two sides and not very well protected / on the other two, and is usually crowded / like this. Pa., Jan. 7, 1911. / Photo by Lewis W. Hine.; by unknown hand, center right in graphite perpendicular: Chapter I- Interdependence; lower left in graphite perpendicular: chap; bottom right in black ink inverted: 1925

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