In 1971, documentary photographer George Zimbel (1929–2023) and his wife Elaine moved their young family to a farm on PEI (Prince Edward Island), Canada. They settled on Bona Fide Farm, 100 acres stretching from the Northumberland Strait to a stand of hardwood trees at the back of the property.
The farmhouse came with challenges. It had no wiring, no plumbing, and the basement was filled with three feet of rotten potatoes. George and his sons cleared it out — lowering buckets of muck through what they called the Potato Port — and eventually transformed the space into his photographic darkroom. Access was by ladder only, but it became the place where his PEI farm photographs were developed.
Life on Bona Fide Farm
George quickly embraced farm life: milking cows, feeding sows, gathering eggs, and tending the fields. His camera was always nearby, capturing moments of rural PEI life with the same sensitivity he brought to street photography in New York, Montreal, and Paris.
Among his most beloved PEI farm photographs are:
-
Dolly at the Stream — a powerful Percheron mare pausing to drink.
-
Hooker the Sow with Her Babies — new life nestled in straw.
-
Rooster in the Window — a timeless silhouette against snowy fields.
These images reflect not only the rhythm of farming, but also George’s gift for finding the extraordinary in the everyday.
Why Collect George Zimbel’s PEI Farm Photographs?
George Zimbel is internationally celebrated for his humanist photography, from his iconic Marilyn Monroe series to his candid street work in New York, Paris, and Montreal. His PEI farm photographs reveal a quieter side of his vision — intimate, timeless black-and-white images rooted in the rhythms of Canadian rural life.
These photographs are both deeply personal and universal. They capture the humour, challenges, and beauty of 1970s farm life while showing George’s extraordinary ability to transform ordinary moments into enduring art. It is no surprise that this body of work has been collected by institutions such as the Confederation Centre of the Arts Gallery in Charlottetown, PEI (see exhibition).
Availability of Prints
Signed black-and-white lifetime prints from George Zimbel’s PEI farm series are available directly from the George Zimbel Photography Archive.
Collectors may also request to arrange purchase through our gallery partners:
-
@stephenbulgergallery (Toronto)
@faheykleingallery (Los Angeles)
-
@catherinecouturiergallery (Houston)
-
@agalleryneworleans (New Orleans)
Learn More
Explore the George Zimbel Photography Archive at GeorgeZimbel.com to discover more of his work — from iconic photographs of Marilyn Monroe and mid-century New York, to the farm photographs of PEI that preserve a vital slice of Canadian life.