Disfarmer

I just posted this over on the Embarrassment of Riches blog, but I thought I'd put it here, too. I think Mike Disfarmer is uber-cool.

Mike Disfarmer was an American photographer known for his simple, solemn portraits of working class folk. Born, Mike Meyers, in Arkansas to German immigrant farmers, he changed his name to Disfarmer to symbolize his break from his family's agricultural background. Disfarmer led a quiet, mysterious life in his hometown of Heber Springs, Arkansas, where he operated a portrait studio. He offered penny portraits to working class people. These portraits managed to capture the raw, simple essence of the hard-working agrarian people of Arkansas.

From what I gather, Disfarmer died, and the contents of his photography studio were purchased by a man who thought they might be worth something someday. He held onto the negatives until the 1970s, when he sold them all for $1. In the late 1970s, these negatives were cleaned and new original photographs were made. Since then, many people have worked hard to promote and uncover Disfarmer's work. Today, the Disfarmer Project works to preserve and share Mike Disfarmer's portraits of middle America.

When I look at Disfarmer's work, I feel as though it draws me back in time. It helps shed a little perspective on the people of rural middle America, and it helps transport me into the lives of the people of rural America of the 1930s and 1940s.