Agriculture

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
Photograph: A bracero with a short-handled hoe over his shoulder stands in a field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero with a short-handled hoe over his shoulder stands in a field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.56.07
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.56.07
Photograph: A bracero counts boxes of strawberries and punches tally cards on the edge of a field near Watsonville, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero counts boxes of strawberries and punches tally cards on the edge of a field near Watsonville, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.31.06
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.31.06
Photograph: Braceros have lunch at the edge of a lettuce field in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros have lunch at the edge of a lettuce field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.37.17
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.37.17
Photograph: A hillside slopes town to the Gondo Labor Camp in Watsonville, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A hillside slopes town to the Gondo Labor Camp in Watsonville, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.38.34
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.38.34
Photograph: A bracero does laundry outside a living quarter at a camp in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero does laundry outside a living quarter at a camp in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.44.03
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.44.03
Photograph: Braceros load Toro lettuce boxes onto a truck in a lettuce field in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros load Toro lettuce boxes onto a truck in a lettuce field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.40.16
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.40.16
Photograph: Braceros work in a field with two rows of Toro lettuce boxes in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros work in a field with two rows of Toro lettuce boxes in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.40.34
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.40.34
Photograph: Braceros enter a taxi in the town of Watsonville, California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros enter a taxi in the town of Watsonville, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.29.30
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.29.30
Photograph: A bracero sits on a bed and writes a letter in a living quarter at a camp in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero sits on a bed and writes a letter in a living quarter at a camp in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.41.34
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.41.34
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
2004.0138.34.35
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.34.35
Photograph: Braceros perform stoop labor in a pepper field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros perform stoop labor in a pepper field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.33.13
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.33.13
Photograph: A man on a truck uses a machine to assemble Toro lettuce boxes, which braceros pick up to fill with lettuce in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A man on a truck uses a machine to assemble Toro lettuce boxes, which braceros pick up to fill with lettuce in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.37.03
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.37.03
Photograph: Braceros returning home wait to board a bus in Stockton, California, as officials distribute documents.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros returning home wait to board a bus in Stockton, California, as officials distribute documents.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.19.04
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.19.04
Photograph: Braceros have dinner in a dining hall at a camp in California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros have dinner in a dining hall at a camp in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.28.34
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.28.34
Photograph: Braceros check for mail at the Gondo Labor Camp in Watsonville, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros check for mail at the Gondo Labor Camp in Watsonville, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.27.33
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.27.33
Photograph: A bracero cleans old leaves off a head of lettuce in a field in California.
Description
Photograph: A bracero cleans old leaves off a head of lettuce in a field in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.56.20
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.56.20
Photograph: Braceros stand around a vendor's car at a camp in California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros stand around a vendor's car at a camp in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.46.15
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.46.15
Photograph: Braceros pick heads of lettuce and place them in boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros pick heads of lettuce and place them in boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.34.05
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.34.05
Photograph: Braceros play dominoes on a bed in a living quarter at a camp in California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros play dominoes on a bed in a living quarter at a camp in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.23.23
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.23.23
Photograph: A bracero stoops down to pick pepper in a field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero stoops down to pick pepper in a field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.56.13
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.56.13
Photograph: A bracero lies in bed and looks out a window in a living quarter at a camp in California.
Description
Photograph: A bracero lies in bed and looks out a window in a living quarter at a camp in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.23.06
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.23.06
Photograph: Braceros have lunch at the edge of a field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros have lunch at the edge of a field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.45.11
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.45.11
Photograph: Braceros walk outside their living quarters at the Gondo Labor Camp in Watsonville, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros walk outside their living quarters at the Gondo Labor Camp in Watsonville, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.27.31
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.27.31
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
2004.0138.25.20
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.25.20

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