Hop Picking Collection

Pulling the Hops - Hop Pickers - West Malling, Kent. Date: 1938

Hop picking at Maplescombe Farm, Farningham, Kent. 1938

Women hop pickers in Beltring, Kent. Each worker has a gas mask over their shoulder in box in case of a gas attack. 1939

Hop pickers in East Peckham. Young and old working in the hop field. 1 September 1938

"The Hop Queen", sculptured by G. Halse, in the Exhibition of the British Institution, 1864....it is not a portrait bust

Hop-picking, 1858. Creator: Unknown
Hop-picking, 1858. Seasonal workers. Beautiful as the hop-gardens appear when the hops are in their pride and prime, and ere a pole has been pulled or a bine cut

Hop-pickers on the Road - drawn by Phiz, 1858. Creator: Hablot Knight Browne
Hop-pickers on the Road - drawn by Phiz, 1858. Seasonal farm workers. Here meet together the respectable poor and the disreputable poor, the honest labourer and the thief (doing honest work now)

Testimonial to Mr. Fuller, 1858. Creator: Unknown
Testimonial to Mr. Fuller, 1858. The testimonial which we have engraved was intended to be presented to the late Mr. Eliott Fuller, but, his death occurring before the completion of the work

Hop pickers with local men drinking at a country pub in Kent after a hard days work, circa 1930

Oast houses surrounded by trees with cherry blossom in Ethe Kent countryside Circa 1935

One room per family in rough wooden barracks... near Grants pass, Josephine County, Oregon, 1939
Oregon, Josephine County, near Grants Pass. One room per family in rough wooden barracks on growers property. No running water in camp. Hop ranch

Sign of service station, U. S. 99, Josephine County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sign of service station, U.S. 99. Hop pickers are wanted for four big growers of the area three weeks before opening season

Harvest Home in the Hop Country (coloured engraving)
3638197 Harvest Home in the Hop Country (coloured engraving) by Durand, Godefroy (1832-1896); Private Collection; (add.info.: Harvest Home in the Hop Country.); Look and Learn / Elgar Collection

Seasonal hop pickers travelling by train from London to Kent (litho)
3627036 Seasonal hop pickers travelling by train from London to Kent (litho) by Prout, Victor William (1862-1950); Private Collection; (add.info)

The Hop Gatherers, n. d. Creator: Thomas Stothard
The Hop Gatherers, n.d

Hop pickers waiting outside London Bridge Station for the midnight train to Kent (litho)
6014169 Hop pickers waiting outside London Bridge Station for the midnight train to Kent (litho) by Ward, Enoch (1859-1922); Private Collection; (add.info)

Poverty out of Town, Hop-Pickers in the Fields (engraving)
1053816 Poverty out of Town, Hop-Pickers in the Fields (engraving) by Ridley, Matthew White (1837-88) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Poverty out of Town, Hop-Pickers in the Fields)

Sunday Morning with the Hop-Pickers (engraving)
1626131 Sunday Morning with the Hop-Pickers (engraving) by Ridley, Matthew White (1837-88) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sunday Morning with the Hop-Pickers)

Hop pickers (colour photo)
3103948 Hop pickers (colour photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hop pickers. Postcard)

Farmers loading sacks onto a cart (colour photo)
3104539 Farmers loading sacks onto a cart (colour photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Farmers loading sacks onto a cart)

With the distressed hop pickers in Kent - a series of drawings by ILN Special Artist Mr H. C. Seppings Wright showing the poor conditions for hop pickers in Kent during bad wet weather

In a Kentish Hop-Garden (engraving)
1622776 In a Kentish Hop-Garden (engraving) by Emslie, Alfred Edward (1848-97) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: In a Kentish Hop-Garden)

Agriculture in England and France (engraving)
1100785 Agriculture in England and France (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Agriculture in England and France)

Hop-Picking in Kent, stripping the Last Pole (engraving)
1603579 Hop-Picking in Kent, stripping the Last Pole (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hop-Picking in Kent, stripping the Last Pole)

Hop Picking in Kent (engraving)
2773626 Hop Picking in Kent (engraving) by Hull, Edward (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hop Picking in Kent)

Incidents of hop gathering (engraving)
728674 Incidents of hop gathering (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Incidents of hop gathering: waiting to be paid)

Georgian hop tokens used by a farmer named Miller to pay his workers at Yalding, Kent (colour litho)
6030609 Georgian hop tokens used by a farmer named Miller to pay his workers at Yalding, Kent (colour litho) by English School

Hop-Picking, c. 1760
MAI46485 Hop-Picking, c.1760 by Smith, George, of Chichester (1714-76); Maidstone Museum and Art Gallery, Kent, UK; eMaidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery; eMaidstone Museum

Hop-Picking at Aldershot, a Military Flirtation (engraving)
1048994 Hop-Picking at Aldershot, a Military Flirtation (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hop-Picking at Aldershot, a Military Flirtation)

The Hop Garden (oil on board)
JBN202302 The Hop Garden (oil on board) by Witherington, William Frederick (1785-1865); Private Collection; John Bennett Fine Paintings; English, out of copyright

Hop-Picking (engraving)
1619336 Hop-Picking (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hop-Picking. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 2 October 1858)

Hop-Picking in Germany (engraving)
1588895 Hop-Picking in Germany (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hop-Picking in Germany. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 14 September 1872)

Kent, Hop Picking (chromolitho)
2799208 Kent, Hop Picking (chromolitho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Kent, Hop Picking)

Trades in Regency England
6340271 Trades in Regency England by Taylor, Isaac (1730-1807); (add.info.: Trades in Regency England. Hop picking, South Down sheep and effects of gunpowder)

Scenes from Kent (litho)
6030957 Scenes from Kent (litho) by German School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Scenes from Kent.); Look and Learn / Valerie Jackson Harris Collection

Hop-Picking near Farnham Palace (engraving)
1591906 Hop-Picking near Farnham Palace (engraving) by Wilson, Thomas Harrington (fl.1842-86) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hop-Picking near Farnham Palace)

Amateur Hop-Picking in Kent (engraving)
1058086 Amateur Hop-Picking in Kent (engraving) by Lawson, Francis Wilfred (1842-1935); Private Collection; (add.info.: Amateur Hop-Picking in Kent)

Hop pickers gathered in a Kent village with oast houses in the background, circa 1930

Blossoms on the trees surrounding the oast houses in Betsham near Dartford, Kent May 1955

Workers on stilts getting ready for the hops. Stringers nearly finished their tasks in the Kent hop fields where hundreds of acres of hop poles have to be tied. Circa 1935

Cherry, pear and plum blossoms on the trees surrounding the oast houses in Newington, Kent April 1944

Hop picker at work in the Kent countryside. 2nd September 1954

Hop picker Pearl Redman at work in the Kent countryside 2nd September 1954

Hop picker Pat Johnson at work in the Kent countryside. 2nd September 1954

Oast houses surrounded by trees with cherry blossom in the Kent countryside Circa 1935

Hop picker Iris Sullivan at work in the Kent countryside September 1954

Children walking down a country lane in a typical Kent village. The oasthouses can be seen in the background Circa 1925

Hops pickers at work at Whitbreads hop fields around the village of Beltring, Kent 4th September 1951

For sale as Licensed Images

Choose your image, Select your licence and Download the media

"Hop Picking: A Glimpse into the Past" Step back in time to 1938, where the picturesque Maplescombe Farm in Farningham, Kent was abuzz with activity. Hop pickers of all ages gathered under the warm September sun in East Peckham, their hands diligently plucking hop cones from towering vines. The scene was not without its precautions; women hop pickers in Beltring, Kent carried gas masks over their shoulders as a reminder of looming uncertainties. Among these hardworking individuals were notable figures like Jack London and Bert, immersing themselves in this laborious yet rewarding tradition. After a long day's work, local men joined hop pickers at a cozy country pub in Kent, raising glasses to celebrate their collective efforts. The idyllic countryside surrounding Ethe Kent showcased oast houses nestled amidst blossoming cherry trees—a sight that surely brought tranquility after hours spent toiling away. However, not all experiences were as serene; families seeking seasonal employment found solace within rough wooden barracks near Grants Pass, Josephine County. Dorothea Lange captured these humble lodgings and also documented a sign marking U. S. 99—an essential service station for weary travelers passing through. Yet despite the challenges faced by those involved in hop picking across different regions and eras, there remained an undeniable sense of community and celebration. Colored engravings depicted vibrant Harvest Home festivities held amidst the bountiful hop fields—joyous occasions where gratitude overflowed for nature's abundance. Even transportation played a role in this annual pilgrimage; lithographs portrayed seasonal hop pickers embarking on trains from London to Kent—a journey filled with anticipation and camaraderie. As we delve further into history's tapestry of traditions surrounding hops cultivation, Thomas Stothard's artwork "The Hop Gatherers" offers insight into timeless scenes depicting people united by their shared purpose—the gathering of this precious crop.