Figurines

This set of figurines depicts a miner and a pail. Each is made of coal from Wales, which carries implications about the state of mining worldwide. Welsh miners made up a substantial portion of the post-Civil War workforce alongside other immigrants from what is now the United Kingdom. Due to their experience, these miners were able to set their own hours, and they developed a reputation as artisans. Despite a changing workforce over the years, the relationships and solidarity created between mining communities ran deep.

The exact creator is unknown, and these figurines were created in the 1960s. They exist in a long standing relationship between American and Welsh workers, and these pieces of coal cross national boundaries while reinforcing geological similarities. The same veins of coal which run under America in the Appalachian Mountains run under the United Kingdom, as offshoots of one ancient mountain range.

Source:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-review-of-social-history/article/dynamics-of-race-and-ethnicity-in-the-us-coal-industry/33CDB44DB0100DDD23E87F5EA4939464