Untitled (Purseglove Coal Mining Company Office, Scotts Run, West Virginia) Oct-35

Editor: This photograph, attributed to Ben Shahn, depicts the Purseglove Coal Mining Company Office in Scotts Run, West Virginia. The greyscale and stark architecture give it a very documentary feel. What aspects of this image stand out to you? Curator: The photograph compels us to consider the social realities of coal mining communities during that era. This image prompts important questions about labor exploitation, environmental degradation, and the human cost of industrial progress. How might we interpret the artist's choice to focus on the architecture rather than the miners themselves? Editor: Maybe it's about the system more than the individual stories? Curator: Precisely. Consider how this choice reframes the narrative around power structures and institutional forces impacting the lives of those working the mines. Editor: So, the building itself becomes a symbol of that power? That gives me a lot to think about. Curator: Indeed. By analyzing the visual language of the photograph, we can uncover layers of meaning related to social justice and the human condition.