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Hog Killing on a farm, Lynchburg, VA, 1975

Subjects
African American HistoryAgriculture & FarmsWorkers & Occupations
Card type
Lithograph
Date
c. 1975 (Modern)
Front of Hog Killing on a farm, Lynchburg, VA, 1975, c. 1975 lithograph postcard
Front
Back of Hog Killing on a farm, Lynchburg, VA, 1975, c. 1975 lithograph postcard
Back

About this postcard

African American men butcher hogs outdoors on a farm. One man scrapes a hog on a wooden platform, another tends carcasses hanging from a pole, a third works near a fire and barrel, and a seated man watches. A donkey, turkeys, and a dog stand nearby, with mountains in the background. The work was a communal seasonal chore: water was heated with rocks in a barrel to scald the slaughtered hog, loosening the bristles so it could be scraped and dressed. Hog killing was typically done in cold weather, when families and neighbors gathered to butcher and preserve meat before refrigeration.

Postcard Details

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PublisherFolk Art America
Hog Killing "The way we killed hogs was to get a big barrel of water and prop it up on a slant with rocks. The fire was built in front which heated the rocks, and these were put in the water to make it scalding hot. The slaughtered hog was then put into the water which made them easy to scrape and dress.
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Postcard record

PublisherFolk Art America
ConditionUnused Mint
PublisherLynchburg, VA
NotesWhite border; printed caption at bottom; artist signature visible lower right. No postmark, stamp, or handwriting — unused modern card. Undivided back ('THIS SPACE FOR ADDRESS ONLY'), white border, matte card stock. Printed 1975 copyright and publisher imprint; small white specks/printing flaws on back.

Cite this card

Hog Killing on a farm, Lynchburg, VA, 1975, postcard, c. 1975. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/hog-killing-on-a-farm-lynchburg-va-1975. Accessed November 2, 2026.