Stringing the Primings

Stringing the Primings

Tobacco Production post-emancipation period in Virginia, 1870s.

This historical image captures the labor-intensive process of tobacco production in the 1870s in Richmond, Virginia. It shows a woman carefully removing tobacco leaves, assisted by children, while a boy hangs the leaves up to dry. The scene highlights the significant role of both enslaved and free African Americans in the tobacco industry, a major economic driver for Virginia during the time. The image offers a glimpse into the harsh realities of agricultural work in the post-Civil War South.

J Wells Champney

Scribner's Monthly (May 1872-Oct. 1872), vol. IV, p. 652

Slavery.org

1870-1880

Mariah Conaway
History 390, Spring 2025

English

Richmond Va

Illustration