Harvesting a profitable crop of Onions in Nebr. 1909

William H. Martin made this image of harvesting a profitable crop of onions in Nebraska in 1909. Look how the grayscale tones create a sense of depth and texture, like the soft earth and papery skins of the onions. The artist seems to be thinking of photography as a record, a sort of social document. The real weight of the image comes from the composition; the way the artist uses the texture of the onions to create something monumental. See how Martin stacks the onions, exaggerating the scale and making them into these almost absurd giants. The artist seems to be poking fun at agricultural labor and small-town Americana. The ladder on the right, leading up to the pile of onions, reminds me a bit of some of Gustave Caillebotte’s paintings, which captured scenes of everyday life with a keen eye for detail. Ultimately, Martin's photograph embraces a quirky ambiguity, inviting us to see the humor and the mundane in the agricultural landscape.