Employee Housing, Fordlandia, Brazil, June 1932

Summary

In 1928, Ford Motor Company established Fordlandia, a 2.5 million-acre rubber plantation and industrial town, in the Amazon Rainforest. Native workers rioted two years later against imposed American work rules and behavioral restrictions. To alleviate tensions, Ford began building new housing and other amenities. The building designs, however, were patterned after management's Midwestern American aesthetics -- inappropriate for Brazil's tropical climate.

In 1928, Ford Motor Company established Fordlandia, a 2.5 million-acre rubber plantation and industrial town, in the Amazon Rainforest. Native workers rioted two years later against imposed American work rules and behavioral restrictions. To alleviate tensions, Ford began building new housing and other amenities. The building designs, however, were patterned after management's Midwestern American aesthetics -- inappropriate for Brazil's tropical climate.

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

20 June 1932

Subject Date

20 June 1932

 On Exhibit

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

64.167.74.40

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 3 in

Width: 4.25 in

Related Content

Connect 3

Discover curious connections between artifacts.

Learn More