AA-2026-155296
On the image
A man in his forties squats before a stone foundation wall, holding a yellow-and-blue rubber ball in both hands as though it were something he needed to protect or display. He wears a plaid cap, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and work boots—standard issue for a construction worker of the era—and the ball's color scheme matches exactly the safety equipment of the period. Behind him rises a freshly laid stone wall, the mortar still bright white, the kind of masonry work that required men to show up with their own sense of caution because nobody else would enforce it. The casual pose suggests he has stopped to document the day's progress, or perhaps to prove ownership of the safety ball, as though the act of holding it for the camera was the same as using it. A construction site in the 1950s was a place where a man could pose with safety equipment as if it were a trophy or a trophy's proxy—evidence of a day survived, not yet a legal requirement or a photograph for a compliance file.
Visually related — by likeness
Man with Safety Equipment at Construction Site, 1950s. 1950–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-155296. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/man-with-safety-equipment-at-construction-site-1950s.
@misc{aaAA2026155296,
title = {Man with Safety Equipment at Construction Site, 1950s},
year = {1950–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-155296},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/man-with-safety-equipment-at-construction-site-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Man with Safety Equipment at Construction Site, 1950s PY - 1950–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-155296 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/man-with-safety-equipment-at-construction-site-1950s ER -
From the community
Identifications, corrections, and discussion from readers — reviewed by a librarian before appearing here.
Sign in to add an identification, correction, or comment.
No notes yet — be the first to add what you know about this image.