Musical accompaniment: Can the Circle Be Unbroken by the Carter Family.
I mentioned photographer Bayard Morgan Wootten the other day. I love her photographs of the working poor on farms and by the water in the Carolinas. The people had deep roots there and really belonged to the place where they lived–they couldn’t have been transplanted somewhere else and wouldn’t want to be. Part of me really envies their sense of belonging and especially their ability to make and do things with their hands.
Today I’m highlighting some of the older people she photographed. You’ll see many are still hard at work! The lines on their faces tell us the expressions they are in the habit of making, just as the way they stand or sit tells us something about them too. One other thing I notice in these pictures is that their clothes don’t have any holes or tears. They’re well worn, but they’re hemmed or patched neatly.
Paring apples:
Bayard Morgan Wootten Photographic Collection. UNC at Chapel Hill Library.
Fixing a boat at the Charleston harbor:
Bayard Morgan Wootten Photographic Collection, UNC Chapel Hill
Knife sharpening. I have an idea this was a man with a sense of humor. He probably liked to joke around.
Bayard Morgan Wootten Photographic Collection. UNC at Chapel Hill Library.
Another elderly fellow smoking his pipe. He’s got a very interesting face but it’s difficult to read.
Bayard Morgan Wootten Photographic Collection, UNC Chapel Hill
Carding and spinning in Penland, North Carolina. Look how slender they are and how straight their posture is! Like soldiers. I’m always working on my posture but I despair of ever getting close to this. It takes a lot of discipline. Do you suppose they are twins?
Bayard Morgan Wootten Photographic Collection, UNC Chapel Hill
Elderly man with beautiful white hair and tragic eyes.
Bayard Morgan Wootten Photographic Collection, UNC Chapel Hill
old spirituals 
I love these pictures! I would love to be able to speak to these people and find out the story of their life. We all think of retirement and work toward that, if possible. These people never even thought of never working. There’s so much to see in each face. The ladies that could have been twins are spinning wool into the most beautiful coverlets. I really think the man with the laughing eyes could be fun to spend a day with and the man with suspicious eyes might be hiding a secret. Where’s his wife? Lol The man with the sad eyes has seen a lot of sorrow and mistreatment.
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The photos stirred several thoughts. Apple paring reminded me of a friend’s collection of vintage, cast iron apple peelers dating back to the 1800s. They operate by a hand crank and fast and effective.
The knife sharpener usually has a foot pedal that turns the sharpening wheel. The one in the photo appears to have a hand crank, making the core challenging.
It is not surprising a number of the photographs are of pipe smokers since North Carolina was the seat of the tobacco growing industry in the United States for decades.
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I know someone who has a knife sharpener with a pedal. I always thought it was a novelty!
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I used a very large grinding/sharpening wheel in my family’s business as a young teen; It was at least twice the size of the one in the photo. It came from an 1800s butcher shop where the hind quarter of a cow was cut down to particular meat cuts; whole pigs were cut down to loins, chops, bacon, etc. Also all types of poultry was dressed, cleaned and cut into parts.
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Holy smoke! It must have been a very large grinding wheel!
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that pipe smoker looks like he knows something about me
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I haven’t got him figured out!
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Dare I say for many years I was a pipe smoker for many years. Most of the time it was not lit, though I must admit I enjoyed it when it was burning my favorite blend. For a myriad of reasons I put down the pipe.
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Probably healthiest decision yet I love the scent of a cigar or a pipe. Even walking past someone outside smoking a cigarette fills my heart with happiness. It brings back happy memories.
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I have many anecdotes surrounding my pipe smoking days. My favorite is when I caused a smoke alarm in a major hotel (back when smoking was permitted inside hotels) to go off. I was in labor negotiations, debating a very important matter. Discussions became very heated; one could cut the atmosphere with a knife. I decided to stoke up my pipe to pause the discussion and lower the “temperature.” I failed to realize I was sitting directly under one of the smoke alarms in the conference room. Fortunately, only hotel security personnel responded to the alarm, not the city fire department. I wish I could say I planned the occurrence because it resulted in a 180 degree change in the atmosphere. Everyone was laughing.
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I love that story! Definitely you deserve credit for turning the negotiation around. Doing something unexpected that requires a little time broke up the tension. It was a smart idea! 💨
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