Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975)
Strike (Mine Strike) 1933
lithograph, 9 3/4 x 10 7/8, signed; ed. 300 (50 printed)
Contemporary Print Group, The American Scene no. 2 1934
UAM 1992.61

Benton made this image without having witnessed a mine strike, but felt the subject too important to ignore: the condition of miners had long been a tinderbox in industrial relations and symbolized the relationship between the worker and owners before the New Deal. The print belongs to the Contemporary Print Group's portfolio The American Scene, intended to "comment on the social scene" and "meant for the masses."