Tenant Farmer Collection

Peasant paying rent in the late Middle Ages
Tenant paying rent, from a book of surveying printed in England, 1523. Hand-colored 19th-century woodcut reproduction of an earlier illustration

The Tenant Farmer's Rent, 1660-1668. Creator: Gerritsz Quiringh van Brekelenkam
The Tenant Farmer's Rent, 1660-1668

Farm woman, Tenant Purchase applicant, Stockton, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farm woman. Stockton, California. Tenant Purchase applicant

Sharecropper family near Hazlehurst, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper family near Hazlehurst, Georgia

Hoe culture in the South, Near Eutaw, Alabama, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hoe culture in the South. Near Eutaw, Alabama

Tenant Purchase applicants, Stockton, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant Purchase applicants. Stockton, California

Sorting and stringing the "golden leaf" at the tobacco barn, near Hartsville, South Carolina, 1938
Near Hartsville, South Carolina, sorting and stringing the "golden leaf" at the tobacco barn, preparatory to curing. Note sled by which tobacco is brought to the barn from the field

Ex-tenant farmer from Texas, came to work in the fruit... Coachella Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Ex-tenant farmer from Texas, came to work in the fruit and vegetable harvests. Coachella Valley, California

Wife of Mississippi sharecropper, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Wife of Mississippi sharecropper

Hoe culture in the South, Mississippi, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hoe culture in the South. Mississippi

Sorting and stringing the "golden leaf" at the tobacco barn, near Hartsville, South Carolina, 1938
Near Hartsville, South Carolina, sorting and stringing the "golden leaf" at the tobacco barn, preparatory to curing. Note sled by which tobacco is brought to the barn from the field

Texas tenant farmers who have been displaced from their land by tractor farming, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Texas tenant farmers who have been displaced from their land by tractor farming

Tenant family...who are rural rehabilitation clients, Greene County, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant family with six children who are rural rehabilitation clients of the Farm Security Administration. Greene County, Georgia

Sharecropper family near Hazlehurst, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper family near Hazlehurst, Georgia

Hoe culture in the South, Mississippi, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hoe culture in the South. Mississippi

Hoe culture in the South, Mississippi, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hoe culture in the South. Mississippi

Plowboy in Alabama earns seventy-five cents daily, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Plowboy in Alabama earns seventy-five cents daily

Sharecropper, Macon County, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper. Receives five dollars a month "furnish" from the landowner. Macon County, Georgia

Father of landless sharecropper family, Macon County, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Father of landless sharecropper family. Macon County, Georgia

Cotton sharecroppers, Greene County, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton sharecroppers. Greene County, Georgia. They produce little, sell little, buy little

Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field, five miles from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Tenant Purchase applicants, Stockton, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant Purchase applicants. Stockton, California

Sharecropper near Hartwell, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper near Hartwell, Georgia

Tenant Purchase applicants, Stockton, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant Purchase applicants. Stockton, California

Cotton sharecropper family, Macon County, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton sharecropper family. Macon County, Georgia

Night meeting in the FSA office, Visalia, Tulare County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Night meeting in the Farm Security Administration (FSA) office, Rural Rehabilitation Division, Visalia, Tulare County, California

Cotton sharecropper family, Macon County, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton sharecropper family. Macon County, Georgia

Sharecropper's child whose father receives five dollars a month, Macon County, Georgia, 1937
Sharecropper's child whose father receives five dollars a month "furnish" from the landowners. Macon County, Georgia

Tenant Purchase applicants, Stockton, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant Purchase applicants. Stockton, California

Oklahomans bound for Oregon along a highway in California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahomans bound for Oregon along a highway in California

Oklahoma sharecropper and family entering California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahoma sharecropper and family entering California. Stalled on the desert near Indio, California

Arkansas sharecroppers going home, near Blytheville... 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Arkansas sharecroppers going home. Near Blytheville, Arkansas

White tenant farmer works on shares. North Carolina, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
White tenant farmer works on shares. North Carolina

Family of one of the evicted sharecroppers...Mississippi, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family of one of the evicted sharecroppers from Arkansas who has been resettled at Hill House, Mississippi

Cotton hoers leaving Greenville at 5 am for a day's work on the plantations, Mississippi, 1937
Cotton hoers leaving Greenville at 5 a.m. for a day's work on the plantations. Wages one dollar a day, one dollar and twenty-five cents on a few plantations. Hoers carry their lunches

Sharecropper child near Clarksdale, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper child near Clarksdale, Mississippi

Sharecropper eating near Clarksdale, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper eating near Clarksdale, Mississippi

JRButler, President of the Southern Tenant Farmer's Union, Memphis, Tennessee, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
J.R. Butler, President of the Southern Tenant Farmer's Union. Memphis, Tennessee

Sharecropper cabin, Coahoma County, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper cabin. Coahoma County, Mississippi

Arkansas sharecroppers going home, Near Blytheville, Arkansas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Arkansas sharecroppers going home. Near Blytheville, Arkansas

Sharecropper boy near Chesnee, South Carolina, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper boy near Chesnee, South Carolina

Sharecropper boy, Chesnee, South Carolina, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper boy. Chesnee, South Carolina

Son of sharecropper family at work in the cotton near Chesnee, South Carolina, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Son of sharecropper family at work in the cotton near Chesnee, South Carolina

Oldest son of a sharecropper family working in the cotton, Chesnee, South Carolina, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oldest son of a sharecropper family working in the cotton. Chesnee, South Carolina

Young sharecropper at Chesnee, South Carolina, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Young sharecropper at Chesnee, South Carolina

Wife of a Mexican sharecropper near Bryan, Texas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Wife of a Mexican sharecropper near Bryan, Texas

Cotton sharecropper family near Cleveland, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton sharecropper family near Cleveland, Mississippi

Cotton sharecropper family near Cleveland, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton sharecropper family near Cleveland, Mississippi

For sale as Licensed Images

Choose your image, Select your licence and Download the media

In the late Middle Ages, tenant farmers were peasants who paid rent for the land they cultivated. Their struggles and resilience can be seen through powerful images captured by renowned photographers like Dorothea Lange and Jack Delano. One such image depicts a rail fence with a poor barbed wire fence in the foreground, set against the backdrop of Person County, North Carolina in 1939. This photograph serves as a stark reminder of the difficult conditions faced by tenant farmers during this time. Another photograph taken by Jack Delano showcases tenant farmers chopping cotton on rented land near White Plains, Greene County, Georgia in 1941. The determination etched on their faces reflects their unwavering commitment to making ends meet despite challenging circumstances. Delano's lens also captures scenes from Puerto Rico in 1941 or 1942 where FSA borrowers are depicted working tirelessly in sugar-cane fields or tending to their gardens. These individuals may have been part of the Tenant Purchase program, striving towards owning their own homes and lands. The struggle for stability is further emphasized through another image showing an FSA emergency migratory labor camp in Calipatria, Imperial Valley in 1939. This camp served as temporary shelter for migrant workers seeking employment opportunities amidst economic hardships. Even Western Washington was not immune to these challenges as evidenced by a photograph taken northeast of Elma in Grays Harbor County during the same year. It highlights how tenant farmers across different regions faced similar difficulties and relied on sheer perseverance to survive. These captivating photographs serve as visual records that depict both hardship and hope within the lives of tenant farmers throughout history. They remind us of our shared humanity and inspire us to appreciate those who have labored tirelessly before us while reminding us that progress must continue towards creating more equitable systems for all.