Young Miner
Young Miner
Oscar Edmund Berninghaus
American, 1874 - 1952
c. 1920
Pencil Drawing on Paper
11 1/2 x 9 in. (29.2 x 22.9 cm)
Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874–1952) was one of America's most significant twentieth-century artists. Born in St. Louis and trained at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts, Berninghaus became known as "America's Foremost Portrayer of Western Life and Scenes." A founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, he won numerous prestigious awards and maintained deep artistic roots in his native Missouri, creating major works for the Missouri State Capitol and the City Art Museum of St. Louis.
Commission and Purpose
In 1920, the De Lore Baryta Company and J.C. Finck Mineral Milling Company commissioned Berninghaus to create a comprehensive visual record of barytes mining in Washington County, Missouri. The resulting works—oil paintings and pencil sketches created from life in the Ozark foothills—appeared in The Story of Barytes, a landmark publication documenting the region's mining heritage. These artworks served a dual purpose: capturing industrial processes and mining life with artistic integrity while preserving an irreplaceable record of early twentieth-century labor and landscape transformation.
This pen and ink portrait study of a young miner in work clothes and cap, capturing individual character and specific identity rather than generic representation. This drawing exemplifies Berninghaus's ability to convey personality and dignity through minimal means. The young man is rendered with respect and attention to detail—his clothing, his posture, his expression all speak to a real person engaged in real work.
Commission and Purpose
In 1920, the De Lore Baryta Company and J.C. Finck Mineral Milling Company commissioned Berninghaus to create a comprehensive visual record of barytes mining in Washington County, Missouri. The resulting works—oil paintings and pencil sketches created from life in the Ozark foothills—appeared in The Story of Barytes, a landmark publication documenting the region's mining heritage. These artworks served a dual purpose: capturing industrial processes and mining life with artistic integrity while preserving an irreplaceable record of early twentieth-century labor and landscape transformation.
This pen and ink portrait study of a young miner in work clothes and cap, capturing individual character and specific identity rather than generic representation. This drawing exemplifies Berninghaus's ability to convey personality and dignity through minimal means. The young man is rendered with respect and attention to detail—his clothing, his posture, his expression all speak to a real person engaged in real work.
Categories
Oscar Edmund Berninghaus
c. 1920
Oil on Artist's Board
