A Herald of Winter c. 1919

Thomas O. Sheckell captured this image, A Herald of Winter, in the early twentieth century, a period defined by industrialization and urbanization, yet deeply connected to the land. This photograph presents us with a field dotted with shocks of bundled corn stalks, standing like silent sentinels under a clouded sky. At the time Sheckell was making photographs, the American Midwest was experiencing an agricultural boom, yet rural life was also fraught with economic uncertainty and hardship. We can feel the weight of labor in each bundle, a testament to the backbreaking work of farmers and their families. Consider the absence of human figures in the landscape, it directs our focus to the land itself and the cycles of nature. The monochromatic palette evokes a sense of nostalgia, calling to mind the agrarian roots of a rapidly changing nation. This photograph invites us to contemplate the relationship between humanity and nature, and to reflect on the enduring legacy of agriculture in shaping the American identity.