Persons Inside a Wooden House
Description
Group of people of various ages inside a house made of wood and sticks that functions as support. Several corn cobs are hanging from one of the horizontal sticks that extend from the ceiling. There is also a wooden piece of furniture with a paper bag and a bottle on it, followed by a bed with a headboard covered with floral-patterned fabric. The man is wearing a hat and shoes, while the children and a woman are barefoot. On the floor, there's a small child holding the musical instrument known as the Puerto Rican tiple, and, in the background, under the door frame, there's another child.| Origin Name |
CSAST - 2008 (197)
|
| Relation |
Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín > Colección Samuel Santiago > Fotos para el Gobierno de Puerto Rico 1949-1954
|
| Geographical Coverage |
Municipio desconocido | Unknown Municipality
|
| Date |
1949/1954
|
| Descriptive Notes |
Title assigned by the cataloging team.
|
| Descripción decolonial |
In 1950s Puerto Rico, a rural farm family inside a wooden house reflects the intertwining challenges of food and housing rights, accentuated by gender roles. Among corn cobs hanging from the ceiling, the man, barefoot children, and a pregnant woman embody both symbols of Puerto Rican identity, according to government propaganda, and the economic struggles of the rural working poor in the 1950s. While the family scene is a happy one, unseen in the economic struggles that await them outside the cabin walls. The intentional decline of the sugar industry under Operation Bootstrap shifted rural employment patterns significantly, while increased mechanization led to further job losses. The home needle industry, a crucial livelihood for women, likewise faced a decline due to minimum wage legislation. This complex economic scenario fueled the mass migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland United States in search of better opportunities. A pivotal moment in the island's history, where economic shifts impacted the rights and roles of its people, prompting the viewer to wonder about the family’s future and their place in Puerto Rico’s cultural landscape.
|
| Historical Background | |
| Architectural Subject |
|
| Decolonial Subject | |
| Rights |
English Rights. (hyperlink)
|
| Editor |
Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín
|
| Resource Format |
JPEG
|
| Resource Type |
Image
|