Branding
Photographer
New Mexico State Tourist Bureau
(active 20th century)
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
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