LibGuides: Food History at the Rubenstein Library: Archive of Documentary Arts

Food, Photography, and Film

The Archive of Documentary Arts has a wide range of works that relate to agricultural history. The collection is particularly rich with sources that touch upon agricultural economy, farm labor, and labor activism.

Five Farms: Stories From American Farm Families Photographs and Oral Histories, 2008-2009
This fascinating oral history project documents the life and work of several family farms with diverse geographic locations including farms on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona; an organic farm in California's Capay Valley; a dairy farm in western Massachusetts; a diversified farm in central Iowa; and an African American-owned hog farm in eastern North Carolina.
Cedric N. Chatterley Photographs, 1983-2013 and undated
This collection features photographs that document the closing of the Penobscot Poultry plant in Belfast, Maine on February 24, 1988. In the days leading up to closure, Chatterley documented the operations of the last poultry plant in the state and followed one of its employees on her search for employment after its closing. The plant became the subject of the book, "I Was Content and Not Content: The Story of Linda Lord and the Closing of Penobscot Poultry" by Alicia J. Rouverol and Stephen A. Cole, with Chatterley contributing the photographs.
Chris Johnson Farmworker Photographs, 1990s
Migrant workers, their labor, and their home life are thoroughly documented in this collection of 124 black-and-white photographs. Johnson’s work captures the difficult living and working conditions of migrant workers in North Carolina’s farm industry and the activism of local communities in an attempt to improve those conditions.
Morrie Camhi Photographs, 1960s-2012 and undated
Contains a Farmworkers’ Series dating from 1972-1977. The photographs feature California Mexican Americans, many of whom were agricultural laborers, and their activism through public rallies and demonstrations.
Frank Espada Photographs and Papers, 1946-2010 and undated
Part of this collection features Espada's work on the Puerto Rican Diaspora. In this project, Espada interviews numerous Puerto Rican mushroom farmers, many of whom had immigrated to Pennsylvania.

In the Fields

Image is part of the Tobacco Series in the Chris Johnson Farmworker Photographs, 1990s.

Documentary Projects on Food Outside of the Rubenstein Library

These links will lead you to oral history and other documentary arts projects that touch upon American food cultures.

The Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) is an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. The SFA is known for its expansive collection of oral histories, documentaries, and other forms of documentary-based scholarship that catalog the rich traditions and changing foodways of the American South. Listed below are a few of the SFA's project that touch upon the history of Food in North Carolina.
- The SFA Carrboro Farmers’ Market Oral History Project (accessible through a number of social media platforms including Flickr and YouTube) consist of 20 oral histories and photographs documenting farmers, customers, and longtime supporters of the Carrboro Farmers’ Market located just a few blocks from UNC Chapel Hill’s bustling campus. This project explores a network of food spaces that have contributed to the formation and sustainability of the Carrboro Farmers’ Market: the market itself, the farms, the restaurants, and the neighboring university.
- Cook School, a Greenhouse Film, features students in Nancy Gould’s food service course, one of the more popular classes in the North Carolina State Prison system. Offered by Piedmont Community College, this 5-month course provides inmates with practical cooking skills. This film documents students' attempt to prepare a fine dining experience for 60 guests.
- North Carolina BBQ Oral History Project documents the rich and tangy history of North Carolina's regional BBQ culture. Featuring 17 BBQ establishments like Mitchell’s Ribs, Bar-B-Q & Chicken in Wilson, NC and Bunn's Barbecue in Windsor, NC, this project provides one of the most in-depth studies of BBQ in the state.
Foodways Texas, similar to the Southern Foodways Alliance, strives to preserve the culinary cultures of the American South, specifically those in Texas. The organization has conducted oral histories and made films that feature Texas' diverse foodways. Oral history projects are oriented around themes of Barbecue, Craft Brewery, and the Iconic Restaurant.