State Historical Society of Iowa

Woman, Man and Child Between a Corn Field and a Stream in Iowa, 1897

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, "Characteristic scene in the great corn belt, U.S.A.," 1897

Description

This image is intended to be used in a stereograph viewer. The side-by-side images in the viewer would provide a 3D image. Stereograph images were popular ways to see the world. This image was sold in the United States, Canada and Britain. These side-by-side images show a man, woman and young boy standing at the edge of a corn field in Iowa. The corn is on the left of the picture. It has tassled out and is almost twice as tall as the two adults. The two adults are looking towards a tree-lined stream that runs on the right side of the picture. All three people are wearing formal attire, not work clothes.

Transcript of "Electricity and the Farm" Newspaper Article

Printable Excerpt of "Electricity and the Farm" Newspaper Article

Source Dependent Questions

  • This photo was designed to depict a typical scene in the American Corn Belt for somebody that would never have an opportunity to visit it. How would the viewer come to understand what life was like there? Use specific evidence from the photo to support your claim.
  • Compare this photo to the image of the family posed with a haystack. What features of these photos suggest it was constructed by non-farming people for non-farming people? Use specific evidence from the images to support your answer.
  • 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

"Characteristic scene in the great corn belt, U.S.A.," 1897. Courtesy of Library of Congress Courtesy of Library of Congress