[C.1894–1901 Naches Valley, Yakima, Washington Hop Ranch Photograph by E.L. Meyer].

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Occupational photograph of hop pickers in Yakima, Washington taken by Washington State photographer Edward L. Meyer. The caption within the image reads: “W.R. Stewart’s Hop Ranch, Natchees [Naches] Valley, Yakima, Wash.”

The image shows a group of 16 men and boys gathered around a large wooden container filled with hop flowers or seed cones; two men and a boy are seen holding hop vines, the latter two are seen in the foreground proudly wearing hop vines over their shoulders. Behind the group, hop vines can be seen growing up poles staked out within a vast field. Hop flowers, of course, are essential to beer making and are used in a variety of herbal medicines.

The photograph is stamped on the back by Seattle, Washington-based photographer Edward L. Meyer who was active from 1894 to 1901. Meyer’s Seattle address, however, has been crossed out or canceled and written by hand below it is the name and location of another photographer: “E.J. Hamacher, N. Yakima.” Meyer may have been temporarily using Ephraim J. Hamacher’s studio in Yakima while the latter was absent, working in Oregon, Alaska, or the Yukon.

While the image is uniformly faded, digital manipulation could make this very presentable for online purposes.

Price: $75.00