MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
 
JUMP TO PAGE   100  >  200  >  300  >  400  >  500  >  600
VINTAGRAPH • WPA • WWII • YOU MEAN A WOMAN CAN OPEN IT?

The Merry Strikers: 1938

August 1938. "Picket line at the King Farm strike near Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Negro and white agricultural workers striking against an hourly wage of 17 to 20 cents." Medium format negative by John Vachon. View full size.

August 1938. "Picket line at the King Farm strike near Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Negro and white agricultural workers striking against an hourly wage of 17 to 20 cents." Medium format negative by John Vachon. View full size.

 

On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5

From the LoC:

Found at explorepahistory.com: Credit: Library of Congress

During the 1930s, Pennsylvania farmers continued to seasonally employ thousands of men and women desperate for jobs. Awful living conditions and low wages pushed some workers to the breaking point. In the summer of 1938, workers near Morrisville staged a strike when the King Farm refused to pay them more than 17 to 20 cents an hour. The strike attracted the attention of the Federal Farm Bureau Administration (FSA), which sent John Vachon (1915-1975) to photograph what was taking place. An FSA messenger and clerk, Vachon later would become an acclaimed documentary photographer, working for Life Magazine and other major publications.

Cheap employer

Well I'll be the first to use the old inflation calculator. The 17 to 20 cents per hour in '38 is now equal to $2.73 to $3.22 an hour. Given the fact that the current minimum wage is $7.25, this employer is one cheapskate!

Hair

Back when I had hair I never had that much. It's not fair.

World's most contented strikers

Pleasant smiles, no traces of anger... kinda takes the edge off that militant labor image. And how about those four sets of near-perfect, pre-orthodontia teeth?

Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.