The Snapshots in Time Collection
Filipino Porters Carrying Baskets on Shoulder Poles, Philippines, c. 1890s-1900s
This lively street scene captures Filipino cargadores, porters who transported goods using a bamboo shoulder pole balanced with a woven basket at each end, a method of carrying still common throughout the Philippines and much of Asia at the turn of the twentieth century. Set against the backdrop of a traditional bahay na bato residence, the image offers a candid glimpse of everyday commerce and manual labor in a provincial Philippine town. Project: 218494