Taylor has captured the mood, temperament, bitter cold and dampness of an early January morning in the Abitibi region of Quebec, as miners head off in darkness to a shift in the Noranda copper mine during WWll. Not unlike many artists elsewhere at the time (see the movie The Front) Taylor was an activist in the labour movement. Most of the stories of heroism written during and post war feature that of the great political or military leaders and of course the legendary battalions, including among other distinguished regiments, the Royal 22nd, the Princess Patricia Light Infantry and the Royal Highlanders. As we are well aware, watching contemporary events, manufacturing and delivering supplies and maintaining supply lines and lanes is an invaluable aspect of a successful battle strategy. Canada, under the direction of CD Howe, mobilized a labour force to produce materials, weapons, including ships of various types and aircraft. “Heavily involved in early lobbying efforts to establish an official war art program, but never employed in it himself, Taylor's personal goal was to ensure a painted record of Canada's war industry workers.” [1]

While the aforementioned is accurate, in conversations with him, Taylor explained to me that at the very time of his painting it was his opinion that the contributions to the War effort by the Canadian workers were not adequately promoted. He sensed that his very activity painting the men and women at work in the factories created among those he was observing an immediate and greater pride in what they were doing. He showed the work and sometimes even auctioned them off in the worker’s lunch rooms, instilling a larger audience and increasing self esteem.

The Noranda miners painted here by Taylor mined a supply that was second only to INCO in the production of copper. The greatest part of the production was sent to Great Britain and that its usage was primarily in the "manufacturer of brass of generator and motor equipment, of degaussing cable used in the protection of ships from magnetic mines; of motor vehicle tubing; and of shell bands. The wartime controlled price of electrolytic copper (London price in Canadian funds) remained at 11.75 cents a pound throughout the year. The New York price of domestic electrolytic copper remained at 11.775 cents a pound in 1942, 1942, and 1944.” [2]
https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/ebooks/canadian-mineral-industry/1944.pdf.

Alan Klinkhoff
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Footnotes:
[1] Taylor, Frederick B. sketch drawing, Miners Working with bars at a Grizzly, Noranda Que. 1945, charcoal, Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, artifact 1024806.
[2] Reviews by the Staff of the Bureau of Mines. The Canadian Mineral Industry in 1944. Ottawa: Canada Department of Mines and Resources, 1945, p. 25, https://emrlibrary.gov.yk.ca/ebooks/canadian-mineral-industry/1944.pdf