State Historical Society of Iowa

Family Posed with Haystack and Horse-Drawn Wagon in Dubuque, Iowa, ca. 1910

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Courtesy of University of Iowa Library and Archives, "Family posed with haystack and horse-drawn wagon, Dubuque, Iowa, 1900s," ca. 191

Description

This posed image taken near Dubuque, Iowa in 1910 was used to create a postcard, a relatively new invention at the time. A farm family can be seen in the foreground of the photograph. Two adults on the left each hold a small child. Two members of the family pose with pitchforks and hay on the wagon. A fifth member of the family poses on a tall ladder leaning against the pile of hay in the background, and a sixth family member stands next to the wagon. A matched pair of horses are harnessed to the wagon.

Transcript of "Telephones on Farms" Newspaper Article

Printable Excerpt of "Telephones on Farms" Newspaper Article

Source Dependent Questions

  • How can this postcard be used to characterize rural life in the first decade of the 20th Century? Use evidence from the source to make your characterization.
  • Describe the work being done in this image. What type of technology is being used to complete this work?
  • Compare this photo to the newspaper articles found in Supporting Question #1 and the images and descriptions of cities found in Supporting Question #2. What signs of modern life from those sources are missing in this photo? What might be the benefits of less modernity?

Citation Information

"Family posed with haystack and horse-drawn wagon, Dubuque, Iowa, 1900s," ca. 1910. Courtesy of University of Iowa Library and Archives Courtesy of Library of Congress