Corn Shucking, Virginia, 1840s
Caption, A plantation 'corn-schucking'--social meeting of slaves. In the preface to her book, Livermore indicates she had lived in Virginia for 3 years, 55 years ago. The corn-shucking was a combination of labor and recreation. The slaves enjoyed the evening away from the quarters, meeting friends and sweethearts, drinking the cider or hard liquor, eating cakes and pies, telling tall stories and singing hilarious songs. . . . Corn-shucking probably produced more secular songs than any other kind of work. In order to finish the work of removing the husks from his corn, a planter would invite all of the slaves in the neighborhood to gather one night at his barn. The slaves received whiskey and a big meal in payment for their labor (John W. Blassingame, The Slave Community [Oxford Univ. Press, 1979], pp. 117-18).
Image Title
Corn Shucking, Virginia, 1840s
RegID
SI-OB-230
Date
1840-1850
Title
Corn Shucking, Virginia, 1840s
Source
Mary Ashton Rice Livermore, The Story of My Life (Hartford, 1897), p. 337
Language
English
Item sets
Miscellaneous Occupations & Economic Activities
Spatial Coverage
North America--Virginia
Reproduced In
Mary Ashton Rice Livermore, The Story of My Life (Hartford, 1897), p. 337
Researchers
Handler, Jerome; Tuite, Michael; Randall Ericson; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Identifier
Livermore337