Back Breaking Collection

Woman washing clothes in a river
A woman washes clothes in a river, using a washboard

Potato field, Hightstown, New Jersey, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Potato field, where the farm members of this resettled group have the second best crop in the three leading potato counties, according to estimates of the New Jersey Agricultural State College

Homesteaders of the farm group are proud of their straight potato row, Hightstown, New Jersey, 1936
Hightstown, New Jersey. The homesteaders of the farm group are proud of their straight potato row. They have raised very successful crops. The farm was started in 1934

Cabbage cutting and hauling by new Vessey (flat truck) system, Imperial Valley, California, 1937
Cabbage cutting and hauling by new Vessey (flat truck) system, now also used in carrots and lettuce. Imperial Valley, California

Migrants from Delaware picking berries in southern New Jersey, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrants from Delaware picking berries in southern New Jersey

Men working in the potato field, Hightstown, New Jersey, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hightstown, New Jersey. Factory and field, both to be run on cooperative basis by resettled families at Hightstown. The men are working in the potato field

Filipinos cutting lettuce, Imperial Valley, CA, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Filipinos cutting lettuce. Near Westmorland, Imperial Valley, California]

Mexican picking melons in the Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Mexican picking melons in the Imperial Valley, California

Migrant agricultural worker picking potatoes near Shafter, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant agricultural worker picking potatoes near Shafter, California

Potato pickers, near Shafter, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Shafter, California. Potatoes are dug by machines and strewn on the ground as the digger goes down the rows. The picker puts the potatoes into sacks suspended from their waist between their

Harvesting peas requires large crews of migratory labor, Nipomo, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Harvesting peas requires large crews of migratory labor. Nipomo, California

Filipino boy, one of a labor gang, cutting cauliflower near Santa Maria, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Filipino boy, one of a labor gang, cutting cauliflower near Santa Maria, California

Migratory field worker picking cotton in San Joaquin Valley, CA, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migratory field worker picking cotton in San Joaquin Valley, California. These cotton pickers are being paid seventy-five cents per one hundred pounds

Migratory field worker picking cotton in San Joaquin Valley, CA, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migratory field worker picking cotton in San Joaquin Valley, California. These cotton pickers are being paid seventy-five cents per one hundred pounds

Migratory field worker picking cotton in San Joaquin Valley, CA, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migratory field worker picking cotton in San Joaquin Valley, California. These cotton pickers are being paid seventy-five cents per one hundred pounds

Migratory field worker picking cotton in San Joaquin Valley, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migratory field worker picking cotton in San Joaquin Valley, California. These cotton pickers are being paid seventy-five cents per one hundred pounds

Filipinos cutting lettuce, near Westmorland, Imperial Valley, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Westmorland, Imperial Valley. Filipinos cutting lettuce

A grandmother washing clothes in a migrant camp, Stanislaus County, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
A grandmother washing clothes in a migrant camp. Stanislaus County, California

Filipino boys thinning lettuce, Salinas Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Filipino boys thinning lettuce. Salinas Valley, California

Filipino thinning lettuce, Salinas Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Filipino thinning lettuce. Salinas Valley, California

Loading truck in sugar beet field, near Ontario, Malheur County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Loading truck in sugar beet field. Average wage of field worker: two dollars and fifty cents per day and dinner and supper during topping. Near Ontario, Malheur County, Oregon

Loading a truck in a sugar beet field, Ontario, Malheur County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Ontario, Malheur County, Oregon. October 1939. Loading a truck in a sugar beet field

Couple digging their sweet potatoes in the fall, Irrigon, Morrow County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Couple digging their sweet potatoes in the fall. Irrigon, Morrow County, Oregon

Gang of Filipino boys thinning lettuce, Salinas Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Gang of Filipino boys thinning lettuce. Salinas Valley, California

Pea pickers at work, San Luis Obispo County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Pea pickers at work. San Luis Obispo County, California

Pea pickers near Calipatria, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Pea pickers near Calipatria, California

500 pea pickers in field of large-scale Sinclair Ranch, near Calipatria, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
500 pea pickers in field of large-scale Sinclair Ranch. Newly planted to peas. Near Calipatria, California

Gang of migratory carrot pullers in field, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Gang of migratory carrot pullers in field. Wages: fourteen cents per crate of forty eight bunches. Imperial Valley, California

Pea pickers, near Niland, Imperial County, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Pea pickers. Wages (1939): one cent per pound. Hamper holds about twenty eight pounds. Near Niland, Imperial County, California

Carrot digger, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Carrot digger. Imperial Valley, California

Filipino field gang in lettuce, Brawley, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Filipino field gang in lettuce. Brawley, Imperial Valley, California. Filipinos work in lettuce but not in peas

A Spanish Road, 1923 (etching)
6198797 A Spanish Road, 1923 (etching) by Lumsden, Ernest Stephen (1883-1948); 25.1x30.1 cm; The McManus, Dundee, UK; (add.info.: Ernest Stephen Lumsden (1883-1948)); Dundee Art Galleries and Museums

A Saka, plate 59 from Collection of One Hundred Prints Representing the Different
STC409024 A Saka, plate 59 from Collection of One Hundred Prints Representing the Different Nations of the Levant by Charles de Ferriol, engraved by Gerard Scotin (1671-1716)

Women Gathering Mushrooms, from Travaux des Champs
STC194686 Women Gathering Mushrooms, from Travaux des Champs, engraved by Lucien Pissarro (1863-1944) published London 1893 (woodcut) by Pissarro

John Bull and the Sinking Fund or A Pretty Scheme for Reducing Taxes
NCO191209 John Bull and the Sinking Fund or A Pretty Scheme for Reducing Taxes and Paying off the National Debt, published by Hannah Humphrey in 1807 (hand-coloured etching) by Gillray

John Bull and The Sinking Fund - a Petty scheme for Reducing the Taxes & paying off
872450 John Bull and The Sinking Fund - a Petty scheme for Reducing the Taxes & paying off the National Debt, pub. H Humphrey, London, 1807 (hand-coloured engaving) by Gillray

Syrian Porter carries two enormous trunks on his back
A Syrian Porter carries two enormous trunks on his back. Date: circa 1910s

Itinerant Coffee Vendor - Istanbul, Turkey
Itinerant Coffee Vendor carrying a yoke, with two buckets containing the tools of his trade hanging from either end. Possibly standing/crouching in the grounds of a marble factory

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"Back Breaking: Capturing the Grit and Resilience of Laborers Through the Lens of Dorothea Lange" A woman, her hands worn and calloused, bends over a riverbank to wash clothes - a daily chore that symbolizes the back-breaking work endured by many. In "The Goober-gatherers, " an engraving from 1890, we witness the arduous task of harvesting peanuts, showcasing the physical strain faced by agricultural workers throughout history. Filipino laborers cutting lettuce near Westmorland in 1939 demonstrate their unwavering determination despite grueling conditions, exemplifying the true meaning of back-breaking work. Amidst a migrant camp in Stanislaus County, California during 1939, a grandmother tirelessly washes clothes - an image that speaks volumes about generations enduring hardship with unyielding strength. Filipino boys thinning lettuce in Salinas Valley during 1939 reveal how even young individuals were not exempt from contributing to their families' livelihoods through physically demanding tasks. The loading of trucks in sugar beet fields near Ontario, Malheur County in Oregon during 1939 showcases yet another facet of back-breaking labor endured by farmworkers striving for survival. A couple digs sweet potatoes amidst fall's golden hues in Irrigon, Morrow County - their stoic expressions reflecting both exhaustion and determination as they harvest nature's bounty. United as a gang, Filipino boys continue thinning lettuce in Salinas Valley during 1939; their camaraderie serves as inspiration amidst challenging circumstances. Pea pickers diligently at work under San Luis Obispo County's scorching sun in 1938 remind us that agricultural labor often demands immense physical effort for meager wages.