Polish tobacco farmers in front of drying tobacco harvest.
This wonderful public domain photograph comes from the Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information Photograph Collection in the Library of Congress. The subjects are a Polish farming couple. The woman in the photo appears to be laughing at something that the gentlemen has said, possibly about his pants, which he is hoisting. Rows of tobacco are seen drying in the shed behind the figures.
This photo was taken by Jack Delano, who was working as an agent of the United States government, and is therefore assumed to be in the public domain.
12 megabyte TIFF. Hosted at the Library of Congress.
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03.15.10
A heavy set woman laughs heartily.It is a deep, belly laugh. Standing next to her , seemingly proud as a peacock, a rugged gentleman adjusts his pants and opens his mouth in a warm smile. His pants are well worn and just a little too big.He has no belt so he tugs to lift and adjust them over his pudgy belly.His sleeves have long since been rolled up , as if he has spent a long day working. Her apron is smudged from repeatedly wiping her hands against it, but the lovey embroidery is still visible. His his hat just misses touching the tobacco that hangs above. Harvest was good and rows and rows of tobacco drying are evidence of that fact.It seems as if the photographer caught them at the perfect time of day, hard work nearing its end , they are able to take a moment to apprecaite the small things. Or maybe they appreciate the large ones – like his pants as they stand surrounded by what must have taken them hours to harvest. the black and white tone allows you to simply appreciate the fullness of the moment without being distracted by specks of color. Just a man and his wife enjoying a laugh and the fruits of their labor.
03.16.10
This is a black and white photo of an older couple I would guess that they’re married. They seem pretty old fashioned because of their clothes. They’ve probably been married for many years because they seem very comfortable with each other. The woman seems to be laughing at something. She could be laughing at the man because he seems to be holding up his pants. Maybe he forgot to put on a belt. Or perhaps his belt broke or the button on his pants popped because they look like if he lets go they are going to fall down. They look like they are used to working fairly hard or do physical labor quite a lot because the man has his sleeves rolled up and the woman is wearing an apron that is a little dirty as if she’s been washing something and uses the apron to wipe things off or wipe her hands off. The man looks like he could spend a good bit of time outdoors because he has a hat on so maybe he gets a lot of sun. It looks a little funny though because the hat seems to be pulled down a little far. It looks like it may be squishing the tips of his ears a little bit.
03.17.10
I instantly loved this couple. This older couple consists of a gentleman who is wearing a beat up hat, a white button down shirt, over an undershirt, and his using his hands to hoist a set of dark britches. His lady love is wearing a patterned dress covered by an embroidered apron that looks well used. The woman has a look of pure joy as she laughs without being self-concouis. The man looks like he just let loose a wise crack and that he is very satisfied with the results. You can tell that the couple is comfortable and at ease with each other by the proximity in which they are standing next to each other and how they are touching near the elbow, lightly but with familiarity. The picture is black and white but portrays so much emotion and warmth. Above the two subjects hangs drying tobacco leaves. I feel like I know this couple and the image immediately draws me into their world. There is a warmth and an openness given off by them that is very appealing. Growing up in a farming community myself, I feel as if I know them and it makes me feel at home. A wonderful, warm photograph of two very interesting characters.
03.27.10
The picture contains two subjects, a man and a woman who look like they are husband and wife. The picture was taken many years ago because the style of their clothes are older and the picture is in black and white. I like this picture because the couple appears to be having fun. It looks like someone made a joke and they were both captured on film laughing. The woman is laughing very hard because her body is tilted back. The man seems to have just finished laughing hard because he is pulling his pants back up which probably was also a result of laughing hard. Hanging above their heads is tobacco that is drying. It looks like the couples are farming this tobacco and that they took a break from farming to have a laugh. Just to the right of the woman’s right arm is a what looks like a doorway. I feel like they are probably standing infront of a barn however the pictures point of view is too small to tell for sure. I also really like this photo because it reminds me of field trips to tobacco farms in Maryland and Virginia when I was a child in elementary school.