Item 47: The Machine that Separates Lint Cotton from the Seed

Black-and-white image of an African American male operating a cotton gin inside of a brick building. Prior to the invention of Eli Whitney's cotton gin, cotton was a difficult crop to work with and thus was not very popular in the United States. After the invention of the cotton gin, however, cotton became much easier to work with and more profitable, and many southern planters reversed their position on slavery, wanting more slaves to work with their cotton crops. Meadville, Pa.: Keystone View Company, ca. 1900-1920. 17.75 x 8.75 cm.

Format: Stereoptic print.