Pijlers in de Blue Hills Mine te Cornwall c. 1893

John Charles Burrow created this photographic print in Cornwall. It shows miners working in the Blue Hills Mine. The photograph’s material qualities – its tonal range, depth of field, and resolution – are all products of a complex interplay between the camera, the developing process, and the subject itself. Photography at this time was a marriage of science and craft. It’s easy to forget the labour involved in producing these images, both for the photographer and his subjects. Consider the miners pictured here, whose work was difficult and dangerous, yet integral to Britain’s industrial growth. Burrow’s photograph aestheticizes this hard labor. The miners are framed as figures in a dramatic landscape. The image is not just a record of their work but also a commentary on the human cost of industry. By understanding the materials, the making, and the context, we recognize the photograph's full meaning, challenging the traditional divide between fine art and craft.