['Shaft no. 10, looking south', 'Shaft no. 12b, looking north'] before 1887

Saul Davis captured these images of mine shafts, focusing on the industrial structures that marked the landscape. These photographs invite us to consider the socio-economic implications of mining, particularly the labor and environmental exploitation that often accompanied industrial progress. These images, with their stark, documentary style, encourage us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are omitted. Consider the labor of the workers, their lives shaped by the demands of the industry. These photographs could serve as a starting point to explore the intersectional dynamics of race, class, and labor within the mining industry, and the lasting impact on communities and the environment. How do these images speak to the broader narrative of industrialization and its effects on both the land and the people who worked it?