Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the "Farming the Welsh Hills" Portfolio

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0526
Creators:
Faul, Jan, 1945-
Dates:
1994
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.3 Cubic feet
1 box
Repository:
Photographs taken under a grant from the Graham Foundation to document disappearing family farms in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. This project shows the urbanization of this mostly rural county in central Wisconsin located between Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison. Welsh men and women came to Waukesha County in the 1840s and became part of America's dairy history. After five or six generations, many of these farms are still family owned. Today's farms are threatened by developers due to rising land prices.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
32 photographs made in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, May 1994, under a grant from the Graham Foundation to document disappearing family farms in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. They include images of farms, dairy barns, silos, cemetery, and roads.
Welsh men and women came to the County in the 1840s to launch another part of America's dairy history; after five or six generations, many farms are still family owned. Today's farms are threatened by developers due to rising land prices (up to $50,000/acre perked) and their central location between Milwaukee (east), Madison (west), and Chicago (south).

Arrangement

Arrangement
Arranged into two series. Sequence arranged by artist.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Artist b. Port Chester, New York, 1945; childhood in several American cities and Switzerland; studied printmaking at George Washington University, Washington, D.C., graduated 1969; gave up printmaking for photography due to influence of Farm Security Administration photographs he had seen at the Library of Congress as a teenager. Self-employed photographer since 1970, working on grants and contracts to document workers, and rural poverty.; also landscape, still life, and portraiture. To Denmark 1979: commercial photography for about ten years before returning to the U.S. Work in many museum and private collections. Artist's residency, Yaddo, 1992-1993.
Artist's comment about the portfolio subjects: Welsh men and women came to Waukesha County in the 1840s to launch another part of America's dairy history; after five or six generations, many farms are still family owned. Today's farms are threatened by developers due to rising land prices (up to $50,000/acre perked) and their central location between Milwaukee (east), Madison (west), and Chicago (south).

Administration

Author
David Haberstich
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection donated by Barbara Scheide and Jan Faul, December 30, 1994.
Location of Originals
Original negatives in custody of the artist.
Processing Information
Collection processed by NMAH Staff, 1998.

Digital Content

More …

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Use and copyright restrictions: rights retained by the artist. The Museum may exhibit and reproduce photographs in its publications, but cannot make copies or authorize reproduction by others.,Contact artist for reproduction arrangements.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Jan Faul "Farming the Welsh Hills" Portfolio, 1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of the artist [or Barbara Scheide: consult finding aid for credits for specific photographs].

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Cemeteries -- Wisconsin Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dairy farms -- Photographs -- 1990-2000 -- Wisconsin Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Agricultural land -- Photographs -- 1990-2000 -- Wisconsin Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Barns -- Photographs -- 1990-2000 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Real estate development -- 1990-2000 -- Wisconsin Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Portfolios (groups of works) -- 1990-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1990-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Landscapes (representations) -- Wisconsin Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wisconsin -- photographs -- 1990-2000 Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Welsh Americans -- 1990-2000 -- Wisconsin Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Waukesha County (Wis.) -- 1990-2000 Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Silos -- Photographs -- 1990-2000 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
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