"Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey" Press Kit
Harry Fain, coal loader. Inland Steel Company, Wheelwright #1 & 2 Mines, Wheelwright, Floyd County, Kentucky. View in Catalog.
James Robert Howard has gotten his safety lamp at lamp house. View in Catalog.
Joe L. Montoya, miner, and two of his children. Royal Coal Company, Royal Mine, Carbon County, Utah. View in Catalog.
Gonzalla Sullivan, miner, with his two children and another child who lives in the neighborhood. Koppers Coal Division, Federal #1 Mine, Grant Town, Marion County, West Virginia. View in Catalog.
Miner's baby is admired by womenfolk of the community. Koppers Coal Division, Kopperston Mine, Kopperston, Wyoming County, West Virginia. View in Catalog.
Family of Henry Armour, one of top coal loaders in the mines here. Last year's income was in excess of $5400. Inland Steel Company, Wheelwright #1 & 2 Mines, Wheelwright, Floyd County, Kentucky. View in Catalog.
"The Sergent Family on their front porch. Reading from L. to R., Franklin D., Louis, Lucy, Mr. Blaine Sergent, Bobbie Jean, Mrs. Sergent, Wanda Lee and Donald. . . P V & K Coal Company, Clover Gap Mine, Lejunior, Harlan County, Kentucky." View in Catalog.
Mrs. James Robert Howard sets the table for supper. Her husband works the night shift going on at 6 pm, consequently the family eats supper about four thirty. View in Catalog.
Quarters of Japanese miner who lives in company housing project. Hudson Coal Company, Hudson Mine, Sweet Mine, Carbon County, Utah. View in Catalog.
Women pick foreign matter out of coal as it is carried on conveyor thru tipple. Union Pacific Coal Company, Stansbury Mine, Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, Wyoming. View in Catalog.
Harry Fain, second from right, seated in shuttle car on mantrip before going underground. Inland Steel Company, Wheelwright #1 & 2 Mines. Wheelwright, Floyd County, Kentucky. View in Catalog.
Members of Medical Survey Group inspection party examine coal car unloader in company with local mine officials. Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company, St. Nicholas Central Breaker, St. Nicholas, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. View in Catalog.
Miners and their families gather around the community store and office. P V & K Coal Company, Clover Gap Mine, Lejunior, Harlan County, Kentucky. View in Catalog.
Welch is the shopping and entertainment center for the nearby mining camps. Welch, McDowell County, West Virginia. View in Catalog.
March 16, 2024–July 6, 2025
Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery
National Archives Museum
Washington, DC
Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey
In 1946, photographer Russell Lee went into coal communities located in remote areas across the United States, documenting miners in 13 states, including Utah, West Virginia, Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming.
The survey was conducted by Navy personnel as part of a strike-ending agreement negotiated between the Department of the Interior and the United Mine Workers of America.
I'm taking pictures of the history of today. — Russell Lee
Despite recent scholarly attention to Russell Lee, Lee’s photographs from this federal project have been rarely studied or exhibited—until now.
Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey is a 3,000-square-foot exhibit showcasing more than 200 photographs taken by Lee in 1946. Visitors and members of the media can access the digitized images in our online Catalog and photographs from the exhibit on Flickr.
Additionally, visitors and members of the media can view images on Flickr from the Power & Light press preview held on March 11, which was attended by descendants of families featured in the survey and Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan.
For more information about the new exhibit, the following resources are available:
- Power & Light press release
- National Archives News Power & Light article
- Pieces of History Power & Light blog post
- The Unwritten Record Power & Light blog post
Are you a member of the media who would like to cover this exhibit? For media inquiries, please contact the National Archives Public and Media Communications via email at public.affairs@nara.gov or by phone at 202-357-5300.