Rufus E. Ribble, Photographer, Panoramic Group Portrait Photographs of Coal Miners and Related Subjects
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4167
Photographer Rufus "Red" Ribble was born May 14, 1878, near Blacksburg, Virginia, and died December 27, 1967 in West Virginia. He came to West Virginia sometime before 1920 and lived out his life in Mount Hope. The collection includes 119 panoramic photographs, which were made with a large rotating camera called a Cirkut camera. These photos are contact prints; all but one are black and white. Images include group portraits, landscapes/views of towns, and a few views of store interiors. Subjects of the photographs include coal miners, mining towns, local businesses, and local social and church groups. The majority of the photos are group portraits of coal miners from Fayette and Raleigh counties. Some photos were identified with the help of West Virginia Coalfield Photography 1900-2005: Panoramic Photography, by Rufus Ribble, George A. Bragg, Morgan G. Bragg, and Melody Bragg (Beaver, WV: GEM Publications, 2005.) Photos are organized roughly by county.
English
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.2 Linear Feet (Summary: 2 in. (large flat storage box, 1 1/2 in.); (oversize folder, 1/2 in))
This collection of panoramic photographs primarily documents the coal miners of Fayette and Raleigh counties. The photographer, Rufus "Red" Ribble, was born May 14, 1878, near Blacksburg, Virginia, and died December 27, 1967 in West Virginia. He came to West Virginia sometime before 1920 and lived out his life in Mount Hope. The collection contains 119 panoramic photographs, which were made with a large rotating camera called a Cirkut camera. These photos are contact prints; all but one are black and white. Images include group portraits, landscapes/views of towns, and a few views of store interiors. Subjects of the photographs include coal miners, mining towns, local businesses, and local social and church groups. The majority of the photos are group portraits of coal miners from Fayette and Raleigh counties.
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Purchase from Crabtree, Mark, of Crabtree Photographs, 2016/01/19
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository