Snapshots of the Past

Aguadors [water carriers] at the fountain, San Luis Potosi – Vintage Wall Art

Aguadors [water carriers] at the fountain, San Luis Potosi, [between 1880 and 1897] — historic photograph
Aguadors [water carriers] at the fountain, San Luis Potosi, [between 1880 and 1897]. Historic photograph from the Detroit Publishing Company collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This historic photograph of Aguadors [water carriers] at the fountain, San Luis Potosi brings a moment of history to your wall. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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Aguadors [water carriers] at the fountain, San Luis Potosi

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Water carriers, or aguadores, were a familiar sight in San Luis Potosí in the late nineteenth century, when many households and public places still depended on hand-carried water rather than piped supply. This view, taken on a glass negative between 1880 and 1897, shows the men who drew and hauled water at a public fountain, with carts and wagons waiting nearby. The picture came from the studio of William Henry Jackson, the photographer known for his western views, whose firm later merged into the Detroit Publishing Company. Its catalog listing in 1898 suggests the Mexican street scenes were sold as travel pictures, so the scene reflects daily labor as outsiders chose to record it.

Created / published[between 1880 and 1897]
Medium1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in.
GenreColo." on negative. Detroit Publishing Co. no. X 8366. Gift; State Historical Society of Colorado; 1949."
NotesListed in Catalogue of the W.H. Jackson Views (1898). W.H. Jackson Phot. Co.
SubjectsCarts & wagons. Fountains. Peddlers. Water supply.Mexico--San Luis Potosi.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
Original scan973 × 652 px
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-DET-76427

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