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Bean thresher, mechanized agriculture between Turlock and Merced, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
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Bean thresher, mechanized agriculture between Turlock and Merced, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Bean thresher. Mechanized agriculture between Turlock and Merced, California
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Media ID 36208781
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Agricultural Machinery Agricultural Workers Beans California United States Of America Cutlery Farm Hands Farm Labourers Farm Machinery Farm Workers Farmhands Farmworkers Fork Forks Machine Machinery Mechanisation Pitchfork Threshing United States Office Of War Information Agricultural Worker Dorothea Lange Dorothea Lange Taylor Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn Farm Hand Farm Labourer Farm Worker Farmhand Farmworker Lange Dorothea Lee Russell Nutzhorn Dorothea Margaretta Recession Russell Lee Taylor Dorothea Lange
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph, titled "Bean thresher. Mechanized agriculture between Turlock and Merced, California," was captured by renowned American photographer Dorothea Lange in the 1930s. The image offers a poignant glimpse into the agricultural transformation taking place during the Great Depression era in the United States. The scene unfolds in the fertile farmlands of California, between the towns of Turlock and Merced. A lone figure, identified as a farm laborer, stands amidst a field of beans, his back towards the camera. In the foreground, a mechanical bean thresher looms large, its metallic arms and forks reaching out to harvest the crops more efficiently than human hands could. The laborer, seemingly dwarfed by the machine, appears to be watching the progress of mechanization with a mixture of awe and apprehension. The photograph is a testament to the economic and social changes brought about by the introduction of mechanized agriculture during this period. Farm laborers, like the one in the image, were increasingly being replaced by machines, leading to widespread unemployment and hardship in rural communities. The image is also a powerful reminder of the human cost of progress, as the laborer's story is one of many that were affected by the agricultural revolution. Taken by Dorothea Lange, a pioneering figure in documentary photography, the photograph is a significant addition to the Farm Security Administration (FSA) collection at the Library of Congress. The FSA was established during the Great Depression to provide relief to farmers and rural communities, and Lange's work was instrumental in documenting the social and economic conditions of the time. This photograph, with its stark contrasts and powerful narrative, continues to resonate with audiences today, offering a glimpse into a pivotal moment in American history.
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