Island Hay

"In the uneven fields the reapers still move with their long scythes, for the contour of the small fields makes a reaping machine impractical. Much of the land has never been completely plowed and leveled, and all kinds of obstacles stand in the way of modern machine methods." —Thomas Hart Benton

This timeless scene takes place on Martha’s Vineyard, an island just south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, that had become a popular haven for artists, actors and musicians—including Benton himself. The rhythmic undulation of the hayfield that made it impossible to be mown by machine is echoed in Benton’s depiction of the bodies of the hard-working, scythe-wielding men.