Heinrich Kley, the son of a silversmith, studied under the history painter Ferdinand von Keller (1842-1922) at the Academy of Arts in his hometown from 1880-85. This influence is still particularly noticeable in Kley’s first commissions to decorate various public buildings in Baden.
Before long, however, he developed his own style and exhibited his works on a regular basis in the Glass Palace in Munich as well as in Secessionist circles. In this way, Kley soon gained a national reputation for his precise depictions of topographical subjects. His first commissions for “portraits” of the Krupp Corporation’s industrial plants followed in 1901. At least from 1909 the artist gained public attention, when Kley was able to celebrate the overnight success of his humouristic and satirical pen drawings from the popular magazine Simplicissimus. These commissions encouraged Kley to move to Munich, where he continued to work as an illustrator.
In January 1922, the magazine Jugend published a double issue with the theme of German Industry. Altogether, Heinrich Kley created ten watercolours and a pen drawing of various exemplary industrial plants. This depiction of the Kohlenzeche Westphalen (original title) at Ahlen near Münster was among these illustrations.
This was the primary factory for mining local coal in the modern-day district of Warendorf, built at the beginning of the 20th century, and was continuously expanded until World War II. Despite its considerable destruction during the war, operations were resumed in 1945. In June 2000, however, the plant was finally shut down and partially dismantled. Since 2013, some of its shafts and preserved shaft towers have stood as landmarked buildings.