Agriculture

John Deere Model D Tractor

From butter churns to diesel tractors, the Museum's agricultural artifacts trace the story of Americans who work the land. Agricultural tools and machinery in the collections range from a John Deere plow of the 1830s to 20th-century cultivators and harvesters. The Museum's holdings also include overalls, aprons, and sunbonnets; farm photographs; milk cans and food jars; handmade horse collars; and some 200 oral histories of farm men and women in the South. Prints in the collections show hundreds of scenes of rural life. The politics of agriculture are part of the story, too, told in materials related to farm workers' unions and a group of artifacts donated by the family of the labor leader Cesar Chavez.

John Deere Plow
John Deere Plow, 1830s
Resource Type: Photographs

Braceros at Meal Time

Photograph: A bracero carries a plate of food and gets a drink in a dining hall at a camp in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero carries a plate of food and gets a drink in a dining hall at a camp in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.47.25
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.47.25

Braceros Working with Short-Handled Hoes

Photograph: Braceros perform stoop labor and hoe rows with short-handled hoes in a field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros perform stoop labor and hoe rows with short-handled hoes in a field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.31.13
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.31.13

Braceros Boarding Truck

Photograph: Braceros enter a truck at the edge of a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros enter a truck at the edge of a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.37.36
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.37.36

Braceros Picking Lettuce

Photograph: Braceros pick heads of lettuce and place them in boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros pick heads of lettuce and place them in boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.34.04
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.34.04

Bracero Camp

Photograph: A row of tents stands beside a wooden barn at a camp in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A row of tents stands beside a wooden barn at a camp in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.22.06
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.22.06

Braceros Waiting to Board Buses

Photograph: Braceros wait in line to board buses at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros wait in line to board buses at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.04.25
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.04.25

Braceros Picking Lettuce

Photograph: Braceros pick heads of lettuce and place them in Toro lettuce boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros pick heads of lettuce and place them in Toro lettuce boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.55.08
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.55.08

Young Child with Basket of Vegetables

With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture.
Description
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture. She recorded this unconventional time of Anti-War demonstrations in California, communes, Love-Ins, peace marches and concerts, as well as her family life as she became a wife and mother. The photographs were collected by William Yeingst and Shannon Perich in a cross-unit collecting collaboration. Together they selected over two hundred photographs relevant to photographic history, cultural history, domestic life and social history.
Law’s portraiture and concert photographs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Lovin Spoonful and Peter, Paul and Mary. She also took several of Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, including the photograph used to create the poster included in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s exhibition 1001 Days and Nights in American Art. Law and other members of the Hog Farm were involved in the logistics of setting up the well-known musical extravaganza, Woodstock. Her photographs include the teepee poles going into the hold of the plane, a few concert scenes and amenities like the kitchen and medical tent. Other photographs include peace rallies and concerts in Haight-Ashbury, Coretta Scott King speaking at an Anti-War protest and portraits of Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary. From her life in New Mexico the photographs include yoga sessions with Yogi Bhajan, bus races, parades and other public events. From life on the New Buffalo Commune, there are many pictures of her family and friends taken during meal preparation and eating, farming, building, playing, giving birth and caring for children.
Ms. Law did not realize how important her photographs were while she was taking them. It was not until after she divorced her husband, left the farm for Santa Fe and began a career as a photographer that she realized the depth of history she recorded. Today, she spends her time writing books, showing her photographs in museums all over the United States and making documentaries. In 1990, her video documentary, “Flashing on the Sixties,” won several awards.
A selection of photographs was featured in the exhibition A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1964–1971, at the National Museum of American History October 1998-April 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
date printed
1998
maker
Law, Lisa Bachelis
ID Number
1998.0139.190
accession number
1998.0139
catalog number
1998.0139.190

Bracero Family in Mexico

Photograph: Women work and care for children in a bracero family home in San Mateo, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Women work and care for children in a bracero family home in San Mateo, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.08.11
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.08.11

Braceros at Steam Bath

Photograph: Braceros wait in front of the Pajaro Steam Bath in Watsonville, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros wait in front of the Pajaro Steam Bath in Watsonville, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.27.07
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.27.07

Blackboard at Bracero Processing Center

Photograph: A sign inside a building at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico, lists how many braceros were processed that day and how many are expected in Hidalgo, Texas.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A sign inside a building at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico, lists how many braceros were processed that day and how many are expected in Hidalgo, Texas.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.16.41
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.16.41

Family Harvesting Pumpkins

With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture.
Description
With her camera, Lisa Law documented history in the heart of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s as she lived it, as a participant, an agent of change and a member of the broader culture. She recorded this unconventional time of Anti-War demonstrations in California, communes, Love-Ins, peace marches and concerts, as well as her family life as she became a wife and mother. The photographs were collected by William Yeingst and Shannon Perich in a cross-unit collecting collaboration. Together they selected over two hundred photographs relevant to photographic history, cultural history, domestic life and social history.
Law’s portraiture and concert photographs include Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Lovin Spoonful and Peter, Paul and Mary. She also took several of Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, including the photograph used to create the poster included in the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum’s exhibition 1001 Days and Nights in American Art. Law and other members of the Hog Farm were involved in the logistics of setting up the well-known musical extravaganza, Woodstock. Her photographs include the teepee poles going into the hold of the plane, a few concert scenes and amenities like the kitchen and medical tent. Other photographs include peace rallies and concerts in Haight-Ashbury, Coretta Scott King speaking at an Anti-War protest and portraits of Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary. From her life in New Mexico the photographs include yoga sessions with Yogi Bhajan, bus races, parades and other public events. From life on the New Buffalo Commune, there are many pictures of her family and friends taken during meal preparation and eating, farming, building, playing, giving birth and caring for children.
Ms. Law did not realize how important her photographs were while she was taking them. It was not until after she divorced her husband, left the farm for Santa Fe and began a career as a photographer that she realized the depth of history she recorded. Today, she spends her time writing books, showing her photographs in museums all over the United States and making documentaries. In 1990, her video documentary, “Flashing on the Sixties,” won several awards.
A selection of photographs was featured in the exhibition A Visual Journey: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1964–1971, at the National Museum of American History October 1998-April 1999.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
date printed
1998
maker
Law, Lisa Bachelis
ID Number
1998.0139.193
accession number
1998.0139
catalog number
1998.0139.193

Bracero Talking to Official

Photograph: A bracero talks to an official during processing at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero talks to an official during processing at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.03.03
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.03.03

Bracero Shaving

Photograph: One bracero shaves while another stands in the doorway of a bathroom at a camp in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: One bracero shaves while another stands in the doorway of a bathroom at a camp in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.35.33
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.35.33

Braceros Waiting at Processing Center

Photograph: Braceros wait to be processed at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico, while others wait to enter the center outside along the railroad tracks.
Description
Photograph: Braceros wait to be processed at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico, while others wait to enter the center outside along the railroad tracks.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.04.04
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.04.04

Braceros in Lettuce Field

Photograph: Braceros line up Cookie lettuce boxes next to a truck in a field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros line up Cookie lettuce boxes next to a truck in a field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.56.24
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.56.24

Braceros Waiting to Board Bus

Photograph: Braceros returning home line up to board a bus in Stockton, California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros returning home line up to board a bus in Stockton, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.19.17
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.19.17

Bracero Living Quarter

Photograph: Beds sit in a bracero living quarter at a camp in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Beds sit in a bracero living quarter at a camp in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.25.22
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.25.22

Bracero Lying in Bed

Photograph: A bracero lies on a bed in a living quarter at a camp in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero lies on a bed in a living quarter at a camp in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.35.35
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.35.35

Braceros at Meal Time

Photograph: Braceros sit and have lunch at the edge of a pepper field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros sit and have lunch at the edge of a pepper field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.56.04
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.56.04

Braceros at Association Office

Photograph: Two braceros look at a notice board in an office in Stockton, California, which says how many braceros are needed from which growers association.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Two braceros look at a notice board in an office in Stockton, California, which says how many braceros are needed from which growers association.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.24.01
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.24.01

Bracero Camp Toilet Facilities

Photograph: Toilet facilities stand at a bracero camp in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Toilet facilities stand at a bracero camp in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.24.27
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.24.27

Association Officials

Photograph: Jack Bias, Executive Manager of the Grower, Shipper, Vegetable Assn., and Ben Lopez, the field representative for the Growers Assn., talk in Bias' office in Salinas, California.
Description
Photograph: Jack Bias, Executive Manager of the Grower, Shipper, Vegetable Assn., and Ben Lopez, the field representative for the Growers Assn., talk in Bias' office in Salinas, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.40.39
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.40.39

Association Agent Reviewing Braceros

Photograph: An agent from the Texas growers association selects braceros for distribution among his association members in Hidalgo, Texas.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: An agent from the Texas growers association selects braceros for distribution among his association members in Hidalgo, Texas.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.14.18
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.14.18

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