Skip to main content
The Hop Fields of Central New York, Harper’s Weekly, September 24, 1881
This is the earliest known Vogt drawing of a farm or residence. It was drawn ten years after the death of Michael Van Alstine (1810-1880)
Michael Van Alstine was a farmer. In 1875, his farm was valued at $5,000. He kept swine, sheep, “milch” cows, and poultry. He also had 100 apple trees, and grew field crops including oats, winter wheat, buckwheat, corn, and potatoes. He also grew hops, producing 3,500 pounds in 1874. A primary ingredient in beer, hops were grown by most farmers as one of many cash crops. Central New York was the largest hop-producing region throughout much of the nineteenth century, producing more than 80% of the national total in 1880.
Hop plants look like vines, but they do not have tendrils or suckers that grab a support as the plant grows. Hop plants are bines. They grow in a helix, wrapping themselves around a support as they grow. You can see tall hop poles in this drawing, leaning against the second building from the left. The leafy arch over the doorway at far left may be a hop bine.
There is a noticeable gap in Vogt drawing during the typical late summer hop harvest, suggesting that he joined thousands of temporary workers to pick hops for pay.
Exhibition History"Drawn Home: Fritz Vogt's Rural America," Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Orlando, FL, June 1, 2004 - August 31, 2004.
"Drawn to the Same Place: Rufus Grider & Fritz Vogt, 1885-1900," The Arkell, Canajoharie, NY, April 1, 2011 - August 14, 2011.
Artist
Fritz G. Vogt
(c. 1841 - 1900)
Residence of Michael Van Alstine, Sharon, Schoharie Co., N.Y.
Date1890
MediumGraphite on paper
DimensionsSight: 14 1/2 × 22 in. (36.8 × 55.9 cm)
Object numberF0216.1944
Credit LineCollection of Fenimore Farm. Museum Purchase
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextNew York may fairly be called the hop-growing state…The Hop Fields of Central New York, Harper’s Weekly, September 24, 1881
This is the earliest known Vogt drawing of a farm or residence. It was drawn ten years after the death of Michael Van Alstine (1810-1880)
Michael Van Alstine was a farmer. In 1875, his farm was valued at $5,000. He kept swine, sheep, “milch” cows, and poultry. He also had 100 apple trees, and grew field crops including oats, winter wheat, buckwheat, corn, and potatoes. He also grew hops, producing 3,500 pounds in 1874. A primary ingredient in beer, hops were grown by most farmers as one of many cash crops. Central New York was the largest hop-producing region throughout much of the nineteenth century, producing more than 80% of the national total in 1880.
Hop plants look like vines, but they do not have tendrils or suckers that grab a support as the plant grows. Hop plants are bines. They grow in a helix, wrapping themselves around a support as they grow. You can see tall hop poles in this drawing, leaning against the second building from the left. The leafy arch over the doorway at far left may be a hop bine.
There is a noticeable gap in Vogt drawing during the typical late summer hop harvest, suggesting that he joined thousands of temporary workers to pick hops for pay.
Exhibition History"Drawn Home: Fritz Vogt's Rural America," Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Orlando, FL, June 1, 2004 - August 31, 2004.
"Drawn to the Same Place: Rufus Grider & Fritz Vogt, 1885-1900," The Arkell, Canajoharie, NY, April 1, 2011 - August 14, 2011.
On View
Not on view
