Lettuce Workers 1934

Jeannette Maxfield Lewis’s print, *Lettuce Workers*, presents a stark scene rendered through a dense network of etched lines. The composition is dominated by the figures of field workers, their forms bent and shadowed under the weight of labor. Above them, the sky churns with diagonal strokes, creating a sense of atmospheric pressure and unease. The artist employs a restricted tonal range, heightening the contrast between light and shadow to emphasize the workers’ physical exertion. The seemingly endless furrows draw the eye into the distance. We cannot deny the rhythmic repetition of shapes and the dynamic interplay between the figures and the landscape. Lewis masterfully uses the printmaking medium to evoke the harsh realities of agricultural labor. The formal rigor of the composition, where the repetitive tasks of the workers mirrors the repetitive lines of the printmaking process, reflects a deeper engagement with themes of labor, landscape, and the human condition. Notice how the structure challenges any romantic notions of rural work and life. Ultimately the artist compels us to consider our relationship to labor and the land.