Agriculture has always been the backbone of Arkansas. Granted, technology has made farming much easier in spite of the massive amount of work and hands it takes to run a farm. These pictures from the 1930s and early 1940s taken by various photographers of the era show that farming in the Natural State was incredibly hard labor even with nascent technology, but this way of life was integral to surviving such a rough period of time.
- Chicot Farmyard
photogrammar.yale.edu Photographer Russell Lee took this picture of the Chicot, Arkansas landscape with a farmyard in the foreground in January 1939.
- Shed in Jerome
photogrammar.yale.edu This shed for agricultural machinery, located in Jerome, Arkansas, was photographed in January 1939 by Russell Lee.
- Barn with Farmer & Livestock
photogrammar.yale.edu This picture of a Lakeview Project farm was taken by Russell Lee in December 1938.
- Greene County Cotton
photogrammar.yale.edu Photographer John Vachon took this picture of a Greene County cotton field in November 1940.
- Elevating Hay
photogrammar.yale.edu Hay is elevated into a loft at the Lake Dick cooperative farming project in this September 1938 photo.
- Cotton Gin
photogrammar.yale.edu Photographer Carl Mydans took this picture of a cotton gin near Oil Trough, Arkansas in June 1936.
- Sweet Potato Farm
photogrammar.yale.edu The Lake Dick cooperative farming project, located south of Altheimer, had a community project of growing and harvesting sweet potato plants. This photo, taken in June 1936, shows a project that yielded enough sweet potatoes to cover 50 acres and feed 100 families.
- Hay Loading Machine
photogrammar.yale.edu This hay loading machine used at the Lake Dick farming cooperative was photographed in operation in September 1938.
- Soybean Field
photogrammar.yale.edu This farmer was photographed at the Lake Dick farming cooperative as he worked in a soybean field in September 1938.
- Cotton Field Workers
photogrammar.yale.edu Photographer Ben Shahn took a picture of these Pulaski County cotton field workers in October 1935.
- Sorghum Farming
photogrammar.yale.edu The process of stripping sorghum prior to crushing is shown in this September 1938 photograph, taken at the Lake Dick cooperative farm.
- Tenant Farmer
photogrammar.yale.edu Boone County tenant farmer Sam Nichols was photographed by Ben Shahn in October 1935.
Looking back into Arkansas’s past, it’s so vital for generations ahead of us to understand the hard work that was put into keeping the state and its residents going during the Great Depression and the years afterward. The fortitude of the men and women who worked on farms in those days was a strength that’s rare to find these days. Comparing life now to then, there’s so much to discuss about what can be learned from the lives of these laborers.
photogrammar.yale.edu
Photographer Russell Lee took this picture of the Chicot, Arkansas landscape with a farmyard in the foreground in January 1939.
This shed for agricultural machinery, located in Jerome, Arkansas, was photographed in January 1939 by Russell Lee.
This picture of a Lakeview Project farm was taken by Russell Lee in December 1938.
Photographer John Vachon took this picture of a Greene County cotton field in November 1940.
Hay is elevated into a loft at the Lake Dick cooperative farming project in this September 1938 photo.
Photographer Carl Mydans took this picture of a cotton gin near Oil Trough, Arkansas in June 1936.
The Lake Dick cooperative farming project, located south of Altheimer, had a community project of growing and harvesting sweet potato plants. This photo, taken in June 1936, shows a project that yielded enough sweet potatoes to cover 50 acres and feed 100 families.
This hay loading machine used at the Lake Dick farming cooperative was photographed in operation in September 1938.
This farmer was photographed at the Lake Dick farming cooperative as he worked in a soybean field in September 1938.
Photographer Ben Shahn took a picture of these Pulaski County cotton field workers in October 1935.
The process of stripping sorghum prior to crushing is shown in this September 1938 photograph, taken at the Lake Dick cooperative farm.
Boone County tenant farmer Sam Nichols was photographed by Ben Shahn in October 1935.
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