This Horse-Drawn Corn Picker Is A Thing Of Beauty

From about 44 minutes into John Ruth's 1975 TV documentary, The Amish: A People of Preservation comes this picture of a horse-drawn, single-row corn picker in what looks like galvanized steel:

amish_corn_harvester1.jpg

It's about right here that the sculptural beauty of this machine--I do believe it's a Dearborn-Wood Bros. single-row corn picker, perhaps a precursor to those designed by Clarence Richey and John O'Donnell in 1956 after Ford bought in the company--starts to sink in:

amish_corn_harvester2.jpg

And as soon as you're caught up in the unexpectedly futuristic, asymmetrical, jet wing-like, origami-like form,

amish_corn_harvester3.jpg

it's gone.

richey_corn_picker_56.jpg

On another note, the Amish in 1975 appear to have been a lot less self-conscious about cameras in their midst. I blame Witness.

The Amish: A People of Preservation [folkstreams.net]

Since 2001 here at greg.org, I've been blogging about the creative process—my own and those of people who interest me. That mostly involves filmmaking, art, writing, research, and the making thereof.

Many thanks to the Creative Capital | Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Program for supporting greg.org that time.

comments? questions? tips? pitches? email
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first published: September 19, 2010.

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