United Fruit Company Photograph Collection

The collection consists of 75 photograph albums that document the United Fruit Company’s operations in Central and South America, the West Indies, and the United States. The photographs were taken between 1891 and 1962, with the majority dating from the 1920s through the 1950s. The albums contain about 5,200 photographs that vary from 3 x 5 inches to 9 x 11 inches. Most of the photographs are accompanied by brief captions that describe their content.

The photographs depict agricultural operations, construction, and research activities undertaken by the company’s many operating units. These units produced bananas, sugar, abaca (for use as hemp), cacao, palm oil, cattle, and mahogany. The operational activities illustrated include planting, spraying, irrigation, and harvesting. Photographs also depict the construction and running of railroads, the building of wharves, company towns, schools, hospitals, and recreational facilities. The photographs also include images of the damage caused to company properties by hurricanes, floods, windstorms, fires, and other natural disasters.