Abandoned Coal Mine c. 1935 - 1936

Harry Gottlieb’s ‘Abandoned Coal Mine’ is a potent image rendered in shades of grey. Gottlieb was deeply moved by the plight of working-class Americans during the Great Depression. The print captures the desolate landscape of a mine, perhaps in Pennsylvania. The scene is one of dereliction; the buildings are crumbling and the ground scarred. Figures are grouped together, seemingly aimless, their postures suggesting despair and destitution. Gottlieb’s personal experiences and socialist beliefs come through in this print. He saw the devastating impact of economic hardship on communities, particularly those dependent on industries like coal mining. The print serves as a form of social commentary, highlighting the human cost of industrial decline and the disregard for the lives of those who toiled in these mines. The emotional weight of this work lingers, prompting us to confront uncomfortable realities and consider the ongoing legacies of economic injustice.