Shucking Oysters
Shucking Oysters at Twenty-five Cents a Gallon, Rock Point, Maryland. (1936)
LIbrary of Congress, Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection
Oyster Shucker At Rock Point Oyster House (1941)
LIbrary of Congress, Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection
Rosy, an eight-year-old oyster shucker, Dunbar, Louisiana (1911)
Library of Congress, National Child Labor Committee Collection
The knife pictured, in the collection at the National Museum of American History, was used in Crisfield, Maryland, in the early 20th century. This initials “JS” are stamped on the knife, indicating it was most likely made by John Stephens or Jack Swift, two Crisfield blacksmiths who made tools for the water business. You can see the difference between this knife and the more modern style. Because every oyster shell is different, this process is best handled by a person rather than a machine.
This oyster shucking stand is similar to those in the images from Rock Point, Maryland, (Charles County) used by workers as they shucked cans upon cans of oysters. Not all workers had this setup, as seen in the picture of men, women, and children shucking oysters in a cannery in Dunbar, Louisiana.