The image depicts a group of agricultural workers engaged in manual labor on a farm field. They are seen kneeling and bending over as they work, with many using tools such as hoes or pitchforks to tend the soil. Several wooden crates can be spotted around them, likely used for collecting produce. This black-and-white photograph captures a historical moment where large-scale agriculture was prevalent, particularly in regions like California's Imperial Valley. It is part of Dorothea Lange's collection from Near Meloland and features gang labor comprising both Mexican and white workers from the Southwestern United States. The task shown here involves pulling, cleaning, tying, and crating carrots destined for Eastern markets. The image highlights the challenging conditions faced by these agricultural laborers, with many earning as little as eleven cents per crate of forty-eight bunches of carrots. It reflects on the heavy oversupply of labor in agriculture during that period along with high competition among workers seeking employment opportunities within this sector.
https://mastodon.ozioso.online/system/media_attachments/files/113/691/799/645/437/184/original/8438842823ee3135.jpeg