16 1/8 x 12 in. albumen photograph on 21 7/8 x 17 7/8 in. cardstock mount , with. letterpress title and credited to Johnson on mount recto.

One of a series of images taken by Johnson to document Pennsylvania's anthracite coal industry. Olyphant is a borough in Lackawanna County about six miles from present-day Scranton. This image shows the small town that has built up around a shaft house and works. An exceptional, richly toned image.

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Little is known of Johnson though he apparently operated a studio in Scranton from at least 1863-65. Works from this same series are curated the the J.P. Getty Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Art and The Cleveland Museum of Art and the Albany Institute of Art.

Rich, and detailed, these prints depict a rural America on the verge of industrialization rarely seen in 19th century American photography.