The Face of Rural America
The 1976 Yearbook of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture, 1976, 284 pages
In 1975, the US Department of Agriculture assembled a team of nearly 60 photographers, assigning them the task of traveling across the country to document the state of US agriculture for this special Bicentennial edition of the Yearbook of Agriculture.
The Yearbook was normally a smaller publication that was mostly text. This special edition, however, is packed with photographs. Detailed captions for each photo, and short text pieces that appear throughout the book, provide a wealth of information about the photos and agriculture in general.
The photographs are mostly black and white, with just a handful of color photos. Unfortunately, the color photos are poorly reproduced and add little to the book's value (although the color image on the front cover is gorgeous). With so many photographers contributing, the pictures vary widely in terms of quality, artistry, and style, but overall they are interesting and informative.
The book contains a list of all of the contributing photographers. In reviewing this list, I noticed only a few names of people who became famous as photographers; most of the contributors were journeyman photographers. A photo credit is provided for every image, but there is no index.
Recommended, especially for people who have little knowledge of agriculture and farm life.