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Rufus E. Ribble, Photographer, Panoramic Group Portrait Photographs of Coal Miners and Related Subjects

 Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4167

Scope and Contents

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.

Dates

  • Creation: ca. 1920-1958

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

Special access restriction applies.

Researchers may access digitized materials by visiting the link attached to each item or by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Extent

.2 Linear Feet (Summary: 2 in. (large flat storage box, 1 1/2 in.); (oversize folder, 1/2 in))

Overview

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.

Physical Location

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/

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase from Crabtree, Mark, of Crabtree Photographs, 2016/01/19

Title
Rufus E. Ribble, Photographer, Panoramic Group Portrait Photographs of Coal Miners and Related Subjects
Author
Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History Center
Date
2016/01/19
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository

Contact:
1549 University Ave.
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown WV 26506-6069 US
304-293-3536