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Cows eat prickly pear cactus--seared to remove the thorns, on a ranch about 20 miles east of San Angelo, Texas – Antique Print

Cows eat prickly pear cactus--seared to remove the thorns, on a ranch about 20 miles east of San Angelo, Texas, [between 1910 and 1940(?)] — historic photograph
Cows eat prickly pear cactus--seared to remove the thorns, on a ranch about 20 miles east of San Angelo, Texas, [between 1910 and 1940(?)]. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive 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

Cows eat prickly pear cactus--seared to remove the thorns, on a ranch about 20 miles east of San Angelo, Texas comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

Cows eat prickly pear cactus--seared to remove the thorns, on a ranch about 20 miles east of San Angelo, Texas

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Cattle grazing on prickly pear is the detail that sets this picture apart, with the thorns burned away before the cows were fed. Ranchers in West Texas and the surrounding semi-arid country turned to the plant during droughts, when grass was scarce and water hard to find, and singeing the spines with flame made the pads safe for livestock to chew. The photograph was made by Wide World, a news photo service, and it documents a practical solution to a regional problem. The record dates it only loosely, to somewhere between 1910 and 1940, so the exact year remains uncertain.

Created / published[between 1910 and 1940(?)]
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePhotographic prints 1910-1940.
NotesPhotograph by Wide World.
SubjectsCows--Texas--San Angelo--1910-1940. Cactus--Texas--San Angelo--1910-1940.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,133 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-162499

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