Description: Family farms required everyone to do their share and work as a unit. As such, farming families were often very close and lived and played together. This 1948 photograph by Joe Munroe depicts the David Brown family, who at this point were fifth generation farmers on a 500-acre plot in Illinois. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B12_F05_002
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family farms; Family life
Places: Illinois
 

Description: Photograph of Joe Stelly and wife, taken by Joe Munroe, 1949. Small family farms required a lot of work, and on Stelly's 75-acre farm in Louisiana, he did all the work with only the help of a few livestock animals. His main crop was sweet potatoes while his wife grew herbs. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B12_F05_003
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family farms; Family life; Couples
Places: Opelousas (Louisiana)
 

Description: This 1950 photograph by Joe Munroe shows a group of women listening to a poetry reading during their Wimodausis poetry club meeting in Ohio. Clubs and activities like this helped to entertain farming communities. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B12_F07_001
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family life; Poetry reading; Poetry--Societies, etc.
Places: Carlisle (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio); Warren County (Ohio)
 

Description: The postwar era brought about new technologies for the home, including the electric dryer. However, many farmers and rural people did not have access to these appliances. They relied on the old-fashioned clothesline outside of the house, as seen in this photograph by Joe Munroe, taken on an Indiana farm, 1947. Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B12_F08_001
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family life; Clotheslines
Places: Indiana
 

Description: Photograph of newlyweds Dot and Roy Rowland as they enjoy the newly-gathered cotton, 1952. Photographer Joe Munroe used his photos to capture the essence of what it means to enjoy work, and showed in his images how farmers were able to work hard and enjoy themselves at the same time. Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B12_F08_005
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family life; Couples
Places: Vanatta (Tennessee)
 

Description: The postwar era did not have the same effect on farming that it did on the urban landscape. Poorer families looked to the city for prosperity, like this recently-widowed man who worked in town so he could one day save enough to move his children there. Photographed by Joe Munroe, 1946. Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B12_F05_004
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family farms; Families
Places: Mansfield (Ohio); Richland County (Ohio)
 

Description: Farming is a difficult task and requires a lot of manpower. On this farm in Marquette, Michigan, a wife helps her husband cut firewood in the days before the chainsaw. Photographed by Joe Munroe, 1947. Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B12_F08_006
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family farms
Places: Marquette (Michigan)
 

Description: Small farms, like the one owned by Mr. and Mrs. Len Cole, were often the hardest to support. Photographed by Joe Munroe in 1947, these poor farmers worked a 90-acre farm and had an average yearly income of 1,500 dollars. Their central Michigan farm was sold two years after Joe Munroe took this portrait. Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B04_F16_001
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family farms; Couples
Places: Michigan
 

Description: Farmer taking a refreshing drink while harvesting in central Iowa, photographed by Joe Munroe, 1950. A second source identifies the image as a cowboy taking a drink in Arizona in 1965. Farmers were slow to see the prosperity of postwar American as the price for agricultural products remained low on the cost-of-living index. Such farmers only saw about 3 cents from a two dollar box of cereal. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B04_F16_002
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family farms; Harvesting
Places: Arizona; Iowa
 

Description: Trips into town were infrequent, often just once a week, and it was important to look your best. This photograph by Joe Munroe shows a young farm boy unhappy with his mother's decision to try and clean him up before their Saturday trip into town for shopping and a movie. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B12_F05_001
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farm life; Family farms; Bathing; Children
Places: Laurel (Indiana)
 

Description: In the later half of the nineteenth century, it became more difficult to keep younger farmers interested in staying on the farm. With the lure of new opportunities in the city, many youths took the opportunity to go to college and move away from farm life. In this 1974 photograph, Maynard Raffety speaks with his grandson, Michael, about his enthusiasm and wisdom gained from working on a farm. Michael was interested in computers and later worked for a firm in Chicago. Joe Munroe's career began in 1939 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He served in the Air Force during World War II and then joined Cincinnati-based Farm Quarterly magazine. Though raised in Detroit, agriculture became an important subject of Joe's photographs. He moved to California in 1955 and free-lanced, taking magazine assignments and selling his own work. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P400_B04_F09_001
Subjects: Joe Munroe; Farming; Farm life; Family farms
Places: Grinnell (Iowa)