250 - [PHOTOGRAPHY - AGRICULTURE]. 5 vintage photographic prints. Circa 1900.

[PHOTOGRAPHY - AGRICULTURE]. 5 vintage photographic prints. Circa 1900. A superb set of 5 vintage photographs taken on the “La Créole” farm in the Bouches-du-Rhône region, documenting the early days of agricultural mechanization at the turn of the 20th century. Set of 5 vintage prints (17 x 12 cm) mounted on original anthracite-colored cardboard sheets (30 x 23 cm) and adorned with a rocaille border printed in white, with captions printed in red at the top of each print. Minimal marks on the front, slight rubbing along the edges of the cardboard mounts, and light water stains and black marks on the back. A rare series of 5 photographs from the early 20th century, documenting the work of farm laborers on the “La Créole” estate in Simiane, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, and their use of equipment from Établissements Pascal Frères in Aix-en-Provence. Featuring a scene of grain threshing, an overview of the worksite, grain cleaning around the mechanical winnower, a view of the millstones, horse-drawn carts, and equipment, the collection provides an exceptional record of the early days of gasoline-powered machinery in Provençal agriculture at the turn of the 20th century, as it gradually replaced animal-drawn vehicles and steam engines. The photographs are captioned as follows: - Vertical gasoline engine for agricultural work - Threshing machine powered by a vertical gasoline engine - Threshing machine in operation, powered by a vertical gasoline engine - Modified winnower, powered by a vertical gasoline engine - View of the straw piles after threshing Stamp of Henry Ely (1861–1921) in the lower left corner of each print. Trained by the Lumière Brothers, Ely founded the eponymous photography studio, located in Aix-en-Provence since 1888 In excellent condition.