Gibson's Breaker, Rushdale, Pennsylvania

ca. 1865

Not on view

Rising above the treetops with a ramshackle glamour, this wooden coal breaker displays a rickety, almost Seussian superstructure. Thomas H. Johnson photographed the breaker for a company that transported anthracite coal from Pennsylvania mines to New York markets. His study locates the coal at its point of origin. In the foreground, chunks of anthracite catch the sun, awaiting treatment in the breaker, where they will be crushed, cleaned, and sorted for delivery. With an eye to the idiosyncrasies of this purpose-built structure, Johnson anticipates a vernacular documentary style later popularized by photographers like Walker Evans and Bernd and Hilla Becher.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Gibson's Breaker, Rushdale, Pennsylvania
Artist: Thomas H. Johnson (American, active 1860s–70s)
Date: ca. 1865
Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions: 30.3 x 38.7 cm (11 15/16 x 15 1/4 in. )
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2000
Object Number: 2000.124
Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

By Thomas H. Johnson

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Von Storch Breaker

Thomas H. Johnson

1863–65

The Town on the Hill, New Almaden, Carleton E. Watkins American, Albumen silver print from glass negative — The Town on the Hill, New Almaden
Carleton E. Watkins
1863

View on the Columbia, Cascades, Carleton E. Watkins American, Albumen silver print from glass negative — View on the Columbia, Cascades
Carleton E. Watkins
1867

Black Cañon, From Camp 8, Looking Above, Timothy H. O'Sullivan American, born Ireland, Albumen silver print from glass negative — Black Cañon, From Camp 8, Looking Above
Timothy H. O'Sullivan
1871

Ruins of Gallego Flour Mills, Richmond, Alexander Gardner American, Scottish, Albumen silver prints from glass negatives — Ruins of Gallego Flour Mills, Richmond
Alexander Gardner
Mathew B. Brady
1865

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.