John W. Tollman
Photo of a Group of Chinese American Farm Workers Harvesting Cranberries in Washington State, 1890s
Albumen print
9 x 11 inches overall
With photographer's credit mount recto.
With photographer's credit mount recto.
An unusual, late 19th-century photograph showing a group of Chinese-American workers harvesting cranberries, which have been farmed on the Long Beach peninsula of Washington State since the 1870s. From the...
An unusual, late 19th-century photograph showing a group of Chinese-American workers harvesting cranberries, which have been farmed on the Long Beach peninsula of Washington State since the 1870s. From the Long Beach Cranberry Museum (a real place):
“Cranberry farming in the SW corner of Washington State has a more than 100-year history. A Massachusetts visitor observed the native berries growing in the marshes and was impressed with the area’s resemblance to Cape Cod. Convinced that the peat soil could be successfully adapted to the cultivation of commercial cranberries, a partnership of 4 entrepreneurs purchased more than 1600 acres of Peninsula land between 1872 and 1877 for as little as $1 an acre.”
The photograph was taken by John W. Tollman, a Long Beach commercial photographer who also documented the salmon industry on the southern Washington coast and in the lower Columbia River.
There is a break on the bottom left corner, which has been repaired with old tape.
“Cranberry farming in the SW corner of Washington State has a more than 100-year history. A Massachusetts visitor observed the native berries growing in the marshes and was impressed with the area’s resemblance to Cape Cod. Convinced that the peat soil could be successfully adapted to the cultivation of commercial cranberries, a partnership of 4 entrepreneurs purchased more than 1600 acres of Peninsula land between 1872 and 1877 for as little as $1 an acre.”
The photograph was taken by John W. Tollman, a Long Beach commercial photographer who also documented the salmon industry on the southern Washington coast and in the lower Columbia River.
There is a break on the bottom left corner, which has been repaired with old tape.