Pictoral essay on coal mining in the 19th-century United States

Images scanned from Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, vol. III, no. 1, Jan. 1877, pp. 116-126.

For historians and general readers alike, the illustrated popular magazines of the nineteenth century offer a wealth of information about a wide variety of topics.  The engravings and drawings in these publications provide a detailed visual record of the times that was beyond the abilities of contemporary photography.  In 1877, Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly published an article entitled "Among the Coal Mines" which recounts the experiences of a traveller in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania.

Coal Mining

Infrastructure of an industry -several views of the buildings and facilities that support coal mining

Leslie's also included several pictures of the conditions faced by miners at work underground.

Coal mining society -images that show the world in which the miners and their families lived.