Farmhand atop Salt Marsh Haystack
Photographer Unknown
CountryUnited States
MediumCyanotype
Year1895-1900
View Additional Information & Tags
Color photograph, Farming, Fields, Farming, Harvesting, Landscape, Figure, Men: Occupational, Seashore
Dimensions
Image Dimensions: 8.7 x 12.0 cm
Support Dimensions: none
Associated Blog Posts:
The location of this photograph has been determined to be Plum Island in Newburyport, Mass, on Boston’s North Shore. This area of marshes, in a tidal zone on the Atlantic ocean, is where salt marsh hay grows and then harvested. The farmhand would first use the wooden drag rake to collect the cut hay into piles. It would then be gathered and piled into layers above a platform (seen at bottom of photo) made from cedar wood staddles. This form of haystack making dates from the 17th Century and is still practiced in the area in the present day.
condition: lower margin of photograph torn to fit pre-cut window within small album.
Title of this work provided by this archive.