Thursday the U.S. Postal Service released a stamp featuring a photo of a coal miner from the Kansas Historical Society’s collections.
The 12-stamp series "Made in America: Building a Nation" honors industrial-era workers just in time for labor day. The vintage, grayscale photos of the series portray men and women of the era at work.
Photographer Lewis Hine took 11 of the photos used in the collection.
The photo of the coal miner from the ‘40s or ‘50s was donated to the society in 1966 by the Kansas Department of Economic Development. It depicts the unidentified miner at work with a handpick and lantern.
Around 1917, coal mining peaked in Kansas, with most mines being in southeastern counties such as Cherokee, Crawford, Bourbon and Osage. Deposits of bituminous coal were widely distributed in eastern Kansas.
Images from the collection include workers on the Empire State Building, a track walker, a powerhouse mechanic and others.
The rest of the stamps in the series can be viewed at on the USPS website.