Lot 32

Lot 32

Superb sixth-plate outdoor occupational ambrotype of four farmers moving an extremely large wagon stacked high with hay. One man stands steadily atop the large mound of hay skillfully arranged to achieve the maximum load. A fall from that height would certainly not be pleasant! Two other men stand in front of the crop with rakes in hand. Another man stands to the far left to steady the large black ox that is pulling the wagon. It is difficult to tell because of the shadows but this man could be African American. We speculate that a traveling photographer happened on to this ordinary workday and either sold them an image or captured rural farming life for a display of his talents in his traveling studio. This is a fantastic outdoor working occupational that is not often seen. The image is in very good condition with nice tones and contrast. There is also some greenish tinting to the trees and ground as seen. There is one extremely light line mostly noticed only at an angle in the area of the ox and this might be original to the collodion. The image is housed in a full case.