Heres a brief history on some of Horgans work with the D&H.
Horgan began his association with the Delaware and Hudson Company in 1950. His major contracts though were with the companies subsidiary, the Hudson Coal Company. Horgan photographed for them during the years 1915, 1916, 1917, 1920, 21 and 23. By 1921 He had produced nearly seventeen hundred negatives of interests to the Hudson Coal Co. Many of those taken in the period 1915-17 were staged scenes in the mines to illustrate unsafe mining practices. These images were made in the period corresponding to the passage of Pennsylvania’s Workman’s compensation act of 1915. This was “rating the relative value of each hazard which goes to make up the total accident risks in a coal mine”. This was meant to improve safety in the coal mining industry. Horgans photographs offer evidence that Hudson Coal, in assessing the safety conditions of its operations, had considered a wide range of issues. Not limited to proper timbering and support methods for mine roofs, to preparation and maintenance of first-aid teams for rescue of injured mine workers. Furthermore, his images illustrate changes in mining technology, contemporary methods of mining, mine openings, drifts, tunnels, slopes, planes, shafts, all aspects of the miner’s work, machine mining and methods, a variety of underground occupations, transportation, electrification, pumping, timbering, ventilation, hazards, explosions, fires, surface operations, power houses, repair shops, colliery buildings and store houses, mine worker’s wash houses, and support facilities. These photographs allowed Hudson Coal to create an image of a well-equipped, properly managed company. His purpose was to do the best job possible with the use of light and camera positions, along with balanced composition, which was reminiscent of the generation of the golden age of photographers that immediately preceded him. Much of his work can be read and viewed in “The Story of Anthracite” which was put out by Hudson Coal in 1932 after Horgans death.
Doesnt tell of techniques but a nice history if i do say so myself, broke it down from a few pages of "Illustrating An Anthracite Era"
chris
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