Two girls sit in front of an apple display in the shape of a turkey in Martinsburg, W. Va.
Two girls sit in front of an apple display in the shape of a turkey in Martinsburg, W. Va.
A Tale of Turkey, Apples, and Bread
From the cold storage vault comes a Thanksgiving-themed gem. Shot on assignment by B. Anthony Stewart but never published, this Dufaycolor photograph of two young women in front of a turkey-shaped display at an apple festival in Martinsburg, W. Va, is an eye-catcher of kitsch and color.
Looking to put the kitsch in context, I turned to the August 1940 issue, where this assignment culminated in a 44-page journey through the Mountain State.
A few things I learned while reading “West Virginia: Treasure Chest of Industry” and the accompanying picture essay: In 1939, the year this photograph was made, West Virginia grew 4 million bushels of eating apples. How many apples is this, you might ask? Calculated at 126 medium
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