"That's Prohibited in the Bible!" The American Colony Photographers Focused on Agricultural Prohibitions

"Thou shall not muzzle an ox in its threshing"
לֹא תַחְסֹם שׁוֹר בְּדִישׁוֹ
Deuteronomy 25 (circa 1900)

The American Colony photographers were religious Christians and probably  knew the Bible from beginning to end. 

Some of their pictures reflected religious themes, such as women working in the field in the tradition of Ruth, or young shepherds near Bethlehem. 



"Thou shall not plow with
an ox and an ass together."
לא תַחֲרֹשׁ בְּשׁוֹר וּבַחֲמֹר יַחְדָּו
Deuteronomy 20 (circa 1890)

 

Plowing with a cow and a camel (circa 1900)

They also focused on one area of Biblical prohibitions -- the care of farm animals.  Many pictures portray mismatched animals pulling a plow, and one picture shows a muzzled cow threshing wheat.

Plowing with a cow and and an ass
 (circa 1900) See also here


Click on the photos to enlarge.

Click on the captions to see the originals.