Migrant Workers Collection

Philippino housekeepers gathering together on Sundays at HSBC Bank hall, Central district, Hong Kong, China, Asia

Chinese quarter of the Chincha Islands, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Chinese quarter of the Chincha Islands, [Peru], 1864. Engraving from a sketch by Oswald Younghusband of the quarter inhabited by Chinese labourers employed in the guano trade

Hop-pickers on the Road - drawn by Phiz, 1858. Creator: Hablot Knight Browne
Hop-pickers on the Road - drawn by Phiz, 1858. Seasonal farm workers. Here meet together the respectable poor and the disreputable poor, the honest labourer and the thief (doing honest work now)

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

Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people

Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast. California

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

Houses inhabited by Mexican citrus workers, Lindsay, Tulare County, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Lindsay, California. Houses inhabited by Mexican citrus workers. (Tulare County)

Migrant cotton pickers, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant cotton pickers. Texas

Migrants, family of Mexicans, on road with tire trouble, looking for work...California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrants, family of Mexicans, on road with tire trouble. Looking for work in the peas. California

Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast. California

Migrants, family of Mexicans, on road with tire trouble, looking for work... CA, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrants, family of Mexicans, on road with tire trouble. Looking for work in the peas. California

Houses inhabited by Mexican citrus workers, Lindsay, Tulare County, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Lindsay, California. Houses inhabited by Mexican citrus workers. Tulare County

Field worker irrigating alfalfa and barley fields, Near Indio, Coachella Valley, California, 1937
Field worker irrigating alfalfa and barley fields. The field produces eleven cuttings of alfalfa a year, yields nine to ten tons to the acre; sold for twenty-two dollars per ton in 1936

Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people

On the move, Wagoner, Wagoner County, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
On the move. Wagoner, Wagoner County, Oklahoma

Oklahoma refugees, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahoma refugees. California

Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt, California, Kern County, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt. California, Kern County

Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt, California, Kern County, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt. California, Kern County

Little Oklahoma, the community that grew out of the need for help in the potato... CA, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Little Oklahoma, the community that grew out of the need for help in the potato and cotton fields. California

House in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
House in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Migrant from Chickasaw, Oklahoma, stalled on the desert in southern California with no money, 1937
Southern California desert. Migrant from Chickasaw, Oklahoma, stalled on the desert in southern California with no money. He and his ten children are facing future in California

Family of four to be returned to Oklahoma by the Relief Administration, Holtville, California, 1937
Family of four to be returned to Oklahoma by the Relief Administration. "They won't go until they get so hungry that there's nothing else for them to do

Lettuce cutting in the Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Lettuce cutting in the Imperial Valley, California. A Filipino crew of fifty-five boys, migrants

Lettuce cutting in the Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Lettuce cutting in the Imperial Valley, California. A Filipino crew of fifty-five boys, migrants

Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico in Coachella Valley, CA, 1937
Some of the carrot pickers in the Coachella Valley. There are one hundred people in this field coming from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Mexico. California

Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico in California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico. "We come from all states and we can't make a dollar in this field noways

Oklahomans in potato pickers camp near Shafter, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahomans in potato pickers camp near Shafter, California

Filipino gang of spinach harvesters, near Santa Maria, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Santa Maria, California. Filipino gang of spinach harvesters

Freightcar converted into home in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Freightcar converted into home in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Tubercular migrant in a potato pickers camp, Kern County, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tubercular migrant in a potato pickers camp. Kern County, California

Home in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Home in "Little Oklahoma, " a community that has grown out of migrant potato and cotton workers. California

Street and homes in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Street and homes in "Little Oklahoma, " California

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

Migrant cotton pickers at lunchtime, near Radstown, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant cotton pickers at lunchtime. Near Radstown, Texas

Mexican migratory citrus worker's family, near Strathmore, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Strathmore, California. Mexican migratory citrus worker's family. Camped here

Shack in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Shack in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico in Coachella Valley, CA, 1937
Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico. Coachella Valley, California

Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico in Coachella Valley, CA, 1937
Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico. Coachella Valley, California

One of the hundred carrot pullers in this field in the Coachella Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
One of the hundred carrot pullers in this field in the Coachella Valley, California

Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico in Coachella Valley, CA, 1937
Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico. Coachella Valley, California. "We come from all states and we can't make a dollar a day in the field no ways

Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico in Coachella Valley, CA, 1937
Carrot pullers from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Mexico. Coachella Valley, California. "We come from all states and we can't make a dollar a day in the field no ways

Mexican migratory laborer thinning and weeding cantaloupe plants, Imperial Valley, California, 1937
One of a Mexican gang of migratory laborers thinning and weeding cantaloupe plants at thirty cents an hour; the young plants are capped with wax paper spread over a wire wicket to protect against

Housing for Oklahoma refugees, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Housing for Oklahoma refugees. California

String of five housecars, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
String of five housecars. This group represents good conditions among pea pickers. California

Refugee families near Holtville, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Refugee families near Holtville, California

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

The kind of work drought refugees and Mexicans do in the Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
The kind of work drought refugees and Mexicans do in the Imperial Valley, California. Planting cantaloupe

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"Migrant workers: A Tale of Struggle and Resilience" In the bustling city of Manila, a group of Philippino housekeepers gather together on Sundays at the HSBC Bank hall. They find solace in each other's company, sharing stories of their lives as migrant workers. Despite being far away from home, they create a sense of community that helps them navigate through the challenges they face. Meanwhile, in Belle Glade, Florida during a slack season in 1941, migratory laborers can be seen outside a "juke joint. " These hardworking individuals have left their homes behind to seek employment opportunities elsewhere. The juke joint becomes an escape for them during this period when work is scarce. Living quarters and another "juke joint" serve as temporary homes for migratory workers in Belle Glade. In cramped spaces filled with uncertainty, these resilient individuals find comfort amidst adversity. Their resilience shines through as they adapt to different environments while striving to provide for themselves and their families. During the cotton strike near Shafter, California in 1939, a family from Oklahoma stands united against injustice. They join forces with fellow migrant workers to demand fair treatment and better working conditions. Their determination reflects the strength within migrant communities who refuse to be silenced or exploited. The Nyssa Farm family labor camp serves as both refuge and hope for migrants seeking seasonal work in Oregon. With FSA mobile units providing support nearby, these families find temporary stability before moving on to new opportunities across the country. In Klamath County, California in 1939 bindle stiffs arrive three weeks before opening day at Klamath-Tule Lake townships. These transient workers carry all their belongings wrapped up tightly into bundles called bindles - symbolizing their nomadic lifestyle driven by economic necessity. Squatter camps emerge before seasons open; Malin becomes home for many migrants seeking potato harvest jobs in Klamath County, Oregon.