The Art & Humor of
A. Stanley Johnson of Waupun, Wisconsin
presented by The History Center on Main Street, Mansfield, PA
How We Do Things, Second Ed.
Site Under Construction starting June 2018 - Still Collecting - October 2021
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Harvesting Giant Produce

Johnson’s scenes demonstrate the cycle of farm and garden production and all the complications of dealing with enormity and abundance. The planting and growing part of the process is done and the next steps involve moving it, using it, transporting it, storing it or marketing it. Johnson takes each step  to its humorous conclusion.

Kkohlrabi (1913), Red Raspberries (1912), Black Raspberries (1913, Digging Aspargus (sp.) (1910),and Carrots (1912) all represent produce at the point of harvest.

In Carrots, I believe that the woman and child on the right are Johnson’s wife, Myrtie Ihde, and their son Alfie who would have been this age in 1912. They appear in other cards as well.

Digging Aspargus (sp) (1910):

Black Raspberries (1912): While Johnson has posed the man in a position to imply movement, the immobile dog gives it away.

Cutting Cabbage (1909)

Milking Time (1911) (No. 582) For lack of a better subject category to include this, I am putting it in with the harvest cards. This card was part of the Johnson collection at the Waupun HIstorical Society. The title was copyrighted, but whether it ever actually went to market, I don't know. We are not aware of any ever having been seen. Notice the barely visible man peeking out from behind the door.  No. 581 is the same scene but with some damage possibly through developing. These demonstrate that Johnson had to take multiple poses to get the right scene for further processing.

Exaggeration Postcards 1908 - 1923

Because the country was predominantly rural and agricultural early in the twentieth century, these farm and garden scenes appealed to people. The backgrounds were composed of scenery that could have been anyplace in the continent so could be adapted to any area. Then and now a good crop of produce came with bragging rights in the neighborhood competition.