Sixth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

A two-dollar bill, a twenty-cents stamp, and a nickel all display the neoclassical home of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. This stately representation of the building has been handed down as an example of architectural integrity underpinning the idea of democracy. The implied agricultural enterprise is perceived to be less about the accumulation of wealth and more the forming of the agrarian ideal of the farmer-citizen. Monticello, however, was embedded in a plantation system that relied on the forced labor of chattel slaves. Upon closer inspection, that is quite evident in Jefferson’s “Farm Book” from 1795, also known as the “Roll of the negroes,” which lists 163 names of individuals “employed” against their will. These contrasted artifacts allow for an instructive exegesis. This project then explores the history of representation in and of agriculture in the United States from the colonial period through to the mid-20th century. While current research emphasizes a literary focus on this subject as culture, this study applies a theory of media ecology to perceptions of farming. As such, this is an intertextual analysis incorporating art, film, photography, and print graphics. The ecological framework of structure, content, and impact permits a fuller interpretation of this vast inventory—its environment, imaginings, and exchange—which in turn reveals deeper characterizations of farming culture and its place in American society. Ultimately this investigation argues in its approach for a more nuanced regard toward agriculture in terms of the visual arts and material culture from a media perspective.