c. 1948

Miners' Wives

American (born Lithuania), 1898 - 1969

Originating from a commercial assignment, Miners' Wives is one of four paintings and nearly one hundred drawings Shahn created in response to a 1947 mining disaster in Centralia, Illinois, in which 111 miners died in an explosion. The powerful impact of the painting stems, in part, from the artist's decision to focus on the aftermath of the catastrophe, in particular the devastation brought to the miners' families, rather than the blast itself.