Tenant Farming and Sharecropping in the Post-Civil War South – Object #1

Cotton Picking

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<p>24 African Americans, ranging in age from toddlers to those in their forties, stands in a cotton field. Many are holding picked cotton in their hands. They are posing for the camera in front of a wooden structure with a house in the background.</p>

A group of African Americans of all ages standing in a cotton field, ca. 1880-1890.

Questions:

Describe the people, objects and activities you see in this image.

Why do you think this photograph was taken? Does it represent a specific point of view?

What do you think daily life was like for the people in this photograph?

What questions do you have about this photograph?

Citations

Agriculture Photograph Collection, (UALR.PH.0053), UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture.