This photograph was taken in 1940, and it shows people working in a cotton field in the South. In Hurston's novel, Janie and Tea Cake spend a lot of time working in a field, so this photograph shows us what that would have looked like. This photograph shows how close together the field workers were. This plays a part in Hurston's novel when Janie and Tea Cake form relationships with their fellow field workers in the muck.