['Driving a heading', 'At a portal'] before 1887

These two prints by Saul Davis capture scenes of labor and transformation, frozen in time. One titled "Driving a Heading", the other "At a Portal", they illustrate the human endeavor of carving paths through earth and stone. Consider the tunnel entrance, the portal. It appears in myths across cultures, from the Greek Hades to shamanic traditions, as a symbol of transition and the unknown. Notice how the railroad tracks lead the eye directly into the darkness. The portal motif is a powerful psychological symbol, embodying the Jungian concept of the shadow—the unconscious, unexplored aspects of the self. Think of the cyclical nature inherent in mining. The act of delving into the earth to extract resources, and in turn, reshape the landscape, mirrors the eternal cycles of death and rebirth found in ancient mythologies. These portals are not just passages through rock; they are thresholds in our collective imagination.