Cotton Pickers Waiting in Line to be Paid Off in Plantation Store 1939

Marion Post Wolcott's 1939 photograph, "Cotton Pickers Waiting in Line to Be Paid Off in Plantation Store," is a poignant portrayal of the lives of Black sharecroppers during the Great Depression. Taken as part of the Farm Security Administration's documentation project, this black and white image captures the weariness and resilience of the subjects as they patiently wait to receive their wages. The composition, with its emphasis on the figures' postures and the stark contrast of light and shadow, lends a sense of melancholy and resignation to the scene. The image's raw realism serves as a powerful reminder of the social and economic challenges faced by African Americans in the rural South during this era.