Branding

Dateca. 1950

Mediumgelatin silver print

Dimensions7 7/16 × 9 1/2 in. (18.8 × 24.1 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineAlbuquerque Museum, gift of John Airy

Object numberPA1982.181.1117

DescriptionA calf just after being branded with a branding iron. There is a burnt fur around the trademark on the calf's flank. A man holds down the calf to the right of the frame. Smoke rises from the branding iron.
A typed caption on the back of the photograph reads, "Branding time means hard work to New Mexico cowboys. Here is a close-up of a brand just after it was seared into the flank of a calf. The brand amounts to a permanent trademark of the owner, which enables later identification after the cattle have been turned loose on New Mexico's open ranges. Three cowboys hold the calf, while a fourth administers the iron."

On View

Not on view

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