North End Coal Shovelers
In Boston's North End of 1919, workers dressed in wool newsboy caps and suspenders shovel coal beside a rusty molasses tank. Their breath is visible in the cold January air. A horse-drawn cart stands under the tank, with its driver in a heavy overcoat conversing with a woman in a long skirt and shawl carrying groceries. Cobblestone streets and brick tenements, wearing the signs of 'Purity Distilling Co.,' set the stage, while overcast skies and steam from factory chimneys create a gray-blue backdrop.

