Bearded Irish clam diggers

🪣 Bearded Irish Clam Diggers, Boston, 1882 📍 North America » United States » Massachusetts » Suffolk » City of Boston » Boston

Captured on a bustling wharf in 1882, this rare photograph shows a group of Irish immigrant clam diggers — proud, resilient, and weather-worn — alongside a matronly figure clutching a woven basket. With crates and barrels stacked high behind them, this image speaks volumes about immigrant labor, working-class perseverance, and Boston's maritime economy in the late 19th century.

In their beards and gaze, you can almost feel the salt of the sea and the grit of a hard day's work. It’s a powerful reminder of the people who built the backbone of Boston.

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