https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane%3A10725

In the late 19th century, Latin America had a trade and economic boom as world trade greatly increased around them. Marc Ferrez was a Brazilian photographer and took this photo of two men harvesting coffee in 1896. At the time, coffee was a major export of Brazil, greatly improving the economy as trade between Latin America and the rest of the world flourished. Celso Furtado’s excerpt in Wood’s textbook states, “It was the rapid expansion of world demand for coffee and cacao from the mid-nineteenth century that enabled tropical commodities to play a dynamic role in integrating the Latin American economy into world trade” (Wood 268). The general location for the photo was Rio de Janeiro, which is not far from São Paulo, which at the time of the photo “supplied two-thirds of the total world coffee output” (Wood 269). Certain land in Brazil had perfect conditions for growing coffee, “the physical and chemical qualities of the soil permitted extensive coffee planting” which led to efficient and high productivity of workers (Wood 269).

Furthermore, the men themselves are dressed almost identically, wearing certain clothes to protect their skin from the sun, light-colored long sleeves, pants, and hats; leaving only their feet, hands, and face exposed. The man on the right has no shoes, showing calluses and marks on his skin due to dry skin from working in the sun. Latin America itself is notoriously hot, therefore these clothes are key to keeping the men in the sun harvesting for long hours. The tools they use to harvest are their hands and a woven basket/net system that they wear. The net in front of them is to catch and organize the coffee as they harvest, before being stored in the large basket on their back.

Brazil also experienced changes to its economy during this time period. The growing demand for its commodities led to an influx of European immigrants, “who demanded monetary wages [which then] favored the creation of a modern infrastructure and the emergence of a domestic market” (Wood 269). Brazil’s population “increased from 10.1 million in 1872 to 17.3 million in 1900” and “nearly all 610,000 immigrants entering Brazil during this decade went to the state of São Paulo” (Wood 270). Coffee exports increased exponentially up until the eve of World War 1. These two men in the photo were a fraction of something much larger, by 1913, Latin America accounted for well over half of the world’s coffee, tea, and cocoa (Wood 270).