Gezicht op de stadsboerderij van Lowell before 1892

This is an undated photograph of the City Farm Buildings on Chelmsford Street in Lowell, Massachusetts, by an anonymous photographer. What does it mean to picture a “city farm”? During the 19th and early 20th centuries, almshouses, workhouses, and so-called “poor farms” were established to house and employ impoverished individuals and families. These institutions sought to address poverty through labor. City farms were often linked to beliefs about moral reform, as they removed the poor from urban environments and placed them in settings associated with health and productivity. The image presents a neat, ordered scene, with rows of trees lining a long drive leading to the main buildings. The architecture is institutional, devoid of the comforting aesthetics typically associated with rural life. What kind of life did the inhabitants of the City Farm Buildings experience? This photograph reflects societal attitudes towards poverty and labor, raising important questions about the treatment and representation of vulnerable populations.