Unidentified boy picking potatoes

Title

Unidentified boy picking potatoes

Description

Black and white image a young boy with a burlap bag full of potatoes. Empty bags hang from his belt behind him, and the wooden frame which holds the bag open as the worker fills it hangs from his belt in front. He wears jeans, shoes, and a striped, short-sleeve shirt. Filled bags of potatoes dot the bare field behind him. These bags were traditionally suspended between the workers legs, with the worker bending over at the waist to fill the bag as it drags along the ground with each step. Museum records identify the boy in the image as a 'potato picker,' and he is most likely a migrant worker. Migrant farm labor has been an important part of agriculture in Washington County since the early 1900s, though the cultural groups which provide the majority of the laborers have changed over time.

Date Created

circa 1959

Subject

Agricultural laborers
Agriculture
Migrant labor
Migrant agricultural laborers
Potatoes--Harvesting
Children of agricultural laborers
Child migrant agricultural laborers
Hispanic Americans
Economic History
Cultural Studies
Latino Interest
Human Migration

Place

Washington County, Oregon

Medium

gelatin silver negatives

Identifier

WCMpic_013696

Rights

Online access to this image is for research and educational purposes only. To inquire about permissions, order a reproduction, or for more information, please contact the Five Oaks Museum at Research@FiveOaksMuseum.org.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Source

Robert L. Benson Research Library, Five Oaks Museum

Type

Still Image

Collection