Bituminous Coal Tipple
Item
Title
Bituminous Coal Tipple
Creator
M. Louise Pershing
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1904-1986 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1904-1986 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date
ca 1936
Materials
oil canvas
Measurements
27 x 34 in.
Description
Horning was one of many mining towns owned by the Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Company. An African American community with a church, general store, school, workers homes, and coal tipple, Horning was the site of the company’s Mine Number 4. In 1927, when racially integrated workforces were rare, 24 of the 209 miners working in Mine Number 4 were African American.
Pershing, a prominent artist in Pittsburgh, gained notoriety for her 1934 mural Education versus Crime painted as a Public Works of Art project for Hillsdale School in Dormont. The school’s Parents-Teachers Association declared the mural unsuitable for schoolchildren. Pershing responded, "I consider it a compliment that the people of Dormont feel they cannot accept my mural. That shows it is beyond their intelligence and understanding. If they accepted it readily and with applause I would doubt if I had created anything worthwhile."
Pershing, a prominent artist in Pittsburgh, gained notoriety for her 1934 mural Education versus Crime painted as a Public Works of Art project for Hillsdale School in Dormont. The school’s Parents-Teachers Association declared the mural unsuitable for schoolchildren. Pershing responded, "I consider it a compliment that the people of Dormont feel they cannot accept my mural. That shows it is beyond their intelligence and understanding. If they accepted it readily and with applause I would doubt if I had created anything worthwhile."
Identifier
EMS067
Rights
These images are posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses may not be permitted. For additional information about usage rights or to request permission to use an image contact museum@ems.psu.edu